


Choices Are The Hinges Of Destiny

by abgrn



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Albus Dumbeldore is a Dick, Albus Dumbledore Hates Slytherins, Assault, Bullying, Coz they're teenagers with shit going on in their lives, He's not evil per say, I had to give Sev an OC boyfriend even though I hate them coz there was no one nice in canon sue me, Lily Evans Potter is a Good Friend, M/M, Minor Character Death, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Only teeny, Severus Snape Has a Heart, Swearing., Tom Goes by Marvolo Gaunt, Traumatized Severus Snape, because he actually likes teaching, but its traumatic, but like also not, but now he likes it and is having a crisis, good friendships, hes just not that great either if you get me, lots of swearing, mostly to piss Dumbledore off
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-27
Updated: 2021-01-25
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:49:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 54,238
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24947935
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/abgrn/pseuds/abgrn
Summary: When all the political attacks don’t seem to work Tom Riddle decides to hit Dumbledore where it hurts the most- (no not the crotch, not yet, though he thought about it)-and take Hogwarts. Only, certain students are more intuitive then they should be, Tom is actually not bad at the whole teaching gig and Gryffindors keep causing trouble.Or: the one where Tom Riddle is just that passionate about teaching and Severus Snape is just a little less bitter but no less in pain.
Relationships: Eileen Prince & Severus Snape, Lily Evans Potter & Severus Snape, Severus Snape/Original Male Character(s), Tom Riddle & Severus Snape
Comments: 107
Kudos: 202





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys, hope everyone is safe & doing ok. As perhaps some, or none, of you have noticed I deleted my story Filius Tenebris because I just wasn't happy with it and I didn't have a outline or a plan of any sort which meant that writing it month to month was mostly dependent on my mood, which also largely shifted the tone of the story from silly to dark completely randomly. 
> 
> If you've read that great, this one might have similarities, if not, brilliant and I hope you like this new story with a plan and an actual plotted ending. Lemme know what ye think if you want to and if you've got a sec! Thanks!

Chapter One

Severus sighed as he gathered his books to his chest and strode through the halls, the previous emptiness of the Yule break like a forgotten memory. The only person feeling possibly more on edge then him right now was poor Professor Merrythought who, yet again, even after the Yule break still hadn’t recovered from his nervous breakdown and had managed to hex 3 students almost consecutively whilst trying to show them a Shielding Charm. He was certainly some defense professor. Shoving away scornful thoughts, Severus groaned as the bell rung, freeing the students that hadn’t already made their escape. 

He ducked around the corners waiting to hear the shuffling of feet or a snickered jeer from the marauders, his hand clasped ready on his wand. He didn’t have to wait long, as a Rictusempra was hurtled towards his head. He had a Protego ready and threw back a Stupefy. He dropped and narrowly dodged a Furnunculus from Black and flung a Defodio with a snarl.  
“Howdy Snivellus, I’d say it’s nice to see ya but I’d never miss your ugly mug. How was your hols here all alone? Didn’t find time to wash your hair, eh?”  
“Oh go to hell Potter, get some new material.” Severus’ sneer didn’t falter, even though the four of them surrounded him, cornering him as the stairs moved with a groan of old stone.  
“Langlock!”  
“Protego! You slimy evil git, what sorta dark arts is that?! You’re gonna get expelled for that I betcha.”  
“Yah good luck getting any mastery without your OWLs Snape!” Black laughed like he thought himself the funniest man on the planet. Lupin shuffled uncomfortably whilst Pettigrew shrieked with laughter, his rat face contorting.  
“Here, as consolation, -”  
Severus just had time to think ‘Oh fuck’ before two voices yelled out “Repulso!” and Severus felt himself vault off the stairs and fly through the air with wind slashing his hair for what seemed like an eternity. He heard himself hit the ground before he felt it, pain radiating everywhere. When he managed to crane his neck, the looming stairwell was empty. He began to haul himself up, thankful his legs were nothing but bruised. As he hopped to his feet, shifting his weight and wincing, he nearly screamed when he noticed they’d dumped his bag over too, all his assignments covered in the remnants of his smashed inkbottle and his yearly allowance scattered and lost. His spare robes that he had learned to keep on hand were destroyed, doused in his sample potion for Professor Slughorn in an attempt to finally, finally get the man to listen, and his books were now in tatters. His eyes burned almost as much as his wrist and when he went to lick his lips, he found blood staining his face as he had broken his nose yet again. As if it wasn’t disfigured enough already. 

He knelt to gather his things, until his knees could not support him, and he collapsed, ink seeping through his tattered trousers. His bag was still intact, and he shovelled his stuff into it viciously, cursing the marauders with every breath. His head thumped and his vision kept blurring, annoying him to the extreme while he tried to regain his control.  
“Severus!” That voice, he knew that voice, but as footsteps ran towards him, he whirled round and scuttered back, right onto the pieces of broken vial. He bit his lip as blood trickled down his hand but let a fretting Lucius Malfoy in new tailored Governors robes grasp his wrist to help him up. As Lucius opened his mouth, no doubt to ask a multitude of questions, a smooth voice sounded from behind him.  
“Please, allow me.” As a man with hair as dark as Severus’ own but short and slightly coiffed with a long limber frame stepped into view, a bone white wand was waved and Severus felt the blood clear from his face, a cast support his surely broken wrist and his nose snap back into place, better than Severus himself had ever managed. Another flick of this man’s wand had his homework moving on its own, spinning and clearing its ink stained pages as everything else danced all neat and fixed into his bag. Severus could only gaze in awe at the effortless display of wordless magic and turned to face the man, about to proffer his thanks when he felt the telltale brush of Legilimency against his shields. This brought him up short and he set his fiercest glare on the man. 

“While I am grateful for your assistance sir, I thank you to keep your mind to yourself.” His voice was ice cold, but he was surprised to see Lucius flinch out of the corner of his eye. Who on earth was Lucius afraid of?  
He got no more time to ponder as Lucius quickly cut in as though he feared letting Severus say another word “Lord Marvolo Gaunt-Slytherin this is Severus, Severus Snape.” He gestured to Severus and sent a warning look his way.  
“A pleasure I’m sure.” He ensured acid dripped from every syllable and moved to hobble away when Gaunt spoke  
“Indeed, and I see as you are a student of Slytherin House you will be going to report an assault to your head of house?” There was a threat in those words somewhere, a needle in a sweet sentence and it made Severus tamper the urge to smooth the hairs at the back of his neck down. “No sir I’m sure he has more important things to do.” Severus couldn’t help but sneer at the inadequacy of his head of house and move away. His assumption that this was the end of the conversation was very wrong as Gaunt stepped into step beside him-taller than Severus by a head or so and it rankled-and just kept talking “Nonsense, he certainly shouldn’t. I shall accompany you. I would rather like to see old Horace again.” Severus knew his earlier thoughts were right, for there was nothing nice about that smile. Lucius full on shuddered and smiled weakly “An excellent idea my lord.” 

So the three Slytherins walked to Slughorns office in silence, Severus humoring the man, somewhat bemused and cautious about this stranger just strolling Hogwarts floors. When they reached Slughorns quarters Severus wrinkled his nose immediately, knowing there was a potion somewhere going to blow up soon. He bolted to the next room down, a makeshift lab, only to find some sort of concoction bubbling away unchecked on the worktop. He grumbled about having to fix Slughorns mess again even as he rushed forward.  
“What in Merlin’s name is he doing?” He heard Gaunt ask in bewilderment as he watched Severus work, taking quick stock of the consistency, colour and temperature of the brew beside him and rapidly become a machine, chopping, measuring, adding and stirring on instinct, grabbing things from the shelves like a madman. When at last the Pepper-Up potion looked as it was supposed to, Severus stepped back and rolled up his sleeves with a sweaty satisfied grin only to turn around and see two identical sets of raised eyebrows. 

“That was…very well done, child.” Gaunt murmured, looking Severus up and down speculatively as Lucius smiled and said, “I told you he was brilliant m’lord.”  
Gaunt actually rolled his eyes at this and then frowned as something else occurred to him. “Tell me, Mr Snape, does Horace often leave potions unattended in an unlocked classroom?”  
“Yessir. He’s often busy, goes to a lotta parties and stuff.” Severus shrugged, not really feeling the need to defend his professors frankly irresponsible behaviour.  
“And you fix them often?” Gaunt queried and now Severus really wanted to know what this guy’s deal was.  
“Yessir, whenever I see ‘em.”  
“And I assume you get extra credit, points and such?”  
The thought of this was so ridiculous that Severus outright laughed “No Lord Gaunt sir. I don’t think he knows who I am aside from being a ‘nuisance’ for fighting with the Gryffindors.”  
His own candor was unexpected, and he suddenly found himself curious. 

“And no offence, sir but why exactly do you care if I get house points or not?” Gaunt’s lips twitched as though Severus had said something faintly amusing, whilst Lucius looked like he wanted the ground to swallow him whole right then and there.  
“It was simply a question, I was merely curious to see if the inequality was still as present as it was for Slytherins in my day what with Dumbledore in charge these days.”

There was only person who would speak of the Great Albus Dumbledore with quite so much scorn and scare Lucius exactly that much. Severus flinched as his brain rammed the jigsaw pieces together in record time. Again, Severus thought ‘OH FUCK.’ Before rapidly trying to school his expression.  
“Ah, smart boy. You figured me out. Lord Marvolo Gaunt-Slytherin, Resident Dark Lord at your service.” He gave an exaggerated bow and Severus felt the blood rush from his head.  
“My lord, I-what-I’m sorry, I don’t understand.” His words came out a bit breathless and were every bit as hopeless as he felt.  
“Nonsense, dear child, wonderful to see a future Potions Master at work and seeing as Horace isn’t here we’ll simply have to deal with Gryffindor fools another time.” He stepped out of the doorway and swept a hand across his body to shoo him out.  
Severus nodded somewhat absently and said “Yessir,” before his feet carried him out of the lab, his thoughts a whirl a minute. Just what was the Dark Lord doing at Hogwarts and how? And what was he going to tell Lily? Did he tell Lily? Morgana’s heart, he wasn’t awake enough for this.


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Severus and Lily regroup and eavesdrop like professional spies and get invited to a tea party where Severus feels more and more like Alice stuck in a rabbit hole of actual insanity. Oh, and Dumbledore's irritated, so there's that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyooo, 2 chapters in one day. Well kinda its nearly 1am but hey, anyway lemme know what you think if you want if you've got a sec. Thanks!

Chapter Two

Lily linked her arm around Severus’ just that bit tighter as they meandered down the Gargoyle corridor on their weekly Saturday exploration of the school. It was a little too close to Dumbledore for his liking, but Lily adored the view the tall tower provided.  
“Are you sure you’re alright?” Her worried eyes bore into his and he didn’t have the strength to turn her down.   
“Yeah, Lils I promise, I got healed up real quick honest.” His insistence wore her down and she quirked an eyebrow at him cheerfully as the topic changed.   
“So did you like your Christmas present?” Her fingers fluttered excitedly on his arms as she waited for his answer.   
He gave her a rare smile and murmured “Of course I did, it was beautiful. Did your mother get her note, I wasn’t sure it would get there in time?”  
Lily laughed, “Yeah Sev, she did but you know you don’t need to thank her for the cookies every time, right?!”  
“But this time she sent a scarf too!” He protested, “I had to. It would be rude if I didn’t.”  
Lily’s no doubt scathing retort was cut short by running footsteps pattering down the hallway as Professor Merrythought whirled around the corner, hauling a trunk behind him, his robes all crumpled and bunched. 

His glasses were slipping off his face as he scurried past them and now Lily looked alarmed.  
“Professor?!” She called after him “Where are you going, are you ok?”   
“Retiring Ms Evans, finally retiring I just can’t take it anymore I just can’t do it!” He sobbed before continuing as he ran “Oh that man is a saint. Merlin Bless Lord Gaunt, now I’m free!”  
Lily reared back and whispered “Who on Earth is-”  
A bang sounded just down the end of the corridor, towards the Headmasters office and Lily raced down without so much as a backward glance.   
“C’mon Sev we’ve gotta check it out!”   
‘Why exactly am I friends with a rambunctious Gryffindor again?’ He grumbled anxiously to himself, but it didn’t stop him following her as he always would.   
By the time he reached the gargoyle guarded door she was crouched down listening attentively and he sighed but knelt down to join her, his knees thankfully healed from Gaunt’s spells yesterday.   
“This is complete madness Lucius; the minister will never stand for this.”  
“Oh, on the contrary Albus, Minister Bagnold was rather taken with the idea.”   
“More like with the idea you sold her, Tom, no doubt you conned her into something didn’t you?” Severus had never heard someone seething so calmly before and it sent shivers up his spine.

“Headmaster Dumbledore as I have informed you both yesterday and today my formal identity is Lord Slytherin-Gaunt, and I suggest you use it.” Severus sucked in a sharp breath, not having expected to hear that voice again.   
“The Board of Governors has assigned me the Defense Against the Dark Arts position and if you insist that Harland Merrythought was in any way suitable after his recent…breakdown, you are truly, worryingly delusional. Besides, he quite readily agreed when we approached the topic yesterday.”   
“How are you going to manage your teaching duties and your new Wizengamont duties? It’s hardly practical To-Marvolo, if I may.”  
“No, you may not. You see Albus, I’ve voted Lucius here in as my proxy.” There was wicked smile in those words, audible as he continued to speak “I need time after all, to learn the political minefield as it were. So, I’ll have plenty of time to dedicate to teaching duties, Headmaster don’t you worry.”   
Lily grasped Severus’ arm and pulled him away from the spellbinding conversation. She snatched up their bags as they went and only released her iron clad grip when they were around the corner.   
“Oh my god, Sev. We’re finally gonna get a decent Defense teacher! He’s replacing Merrythought. This…Gaunt guy. Thank God for that eh?”   
“Yeah.” He murmured in agreement, unease sitting heavy in his stomach. Lord Slytherin-Gaunt was the new defense teacher? The Dark Lord was going to be teaching them Defense Against the Dark Arts?! There was one part of Severus that wanted to cackle in delight and another that wanted to run away screaming.   
“Headmaster Dumbledore didn’t seem particularly happy though.” She frowned, a little crinkle appearing in her forehead.   
Severus snorted. “Well in case you hadn’t noticed Lily, he has Slytherin in the name, that immediately gets him a strike.”   
“What? What do you mean?”   
“Oh come on, it’s obvious, Dumbledore isn’t my houses biggest fan.”  
“Oh but hardly-”  
“They’ve never been punished Lily, not once. No matter what they did. His Gryffindors can do no wrong and you know it.”   
She knew at once who he was talking about and looked horrified as the realization shook her. He chose to stay silent as they walked, her feet carrying her almost absentmindedly. He soon fell into his own thoughts, the two of them walking side by side in silence, Lily muttering angrily every now and then.

They were both so preoccupied they didn’t notice him, until they nearly collided with Lord Gaunt. Severus’ hackles bristled and then he took a small step forward and to the right. Gaunt didn’t seem perturbed by this and simply moved to hold his hand out to Lily, ignoring Severus’ clear attempt at deflection.   
“I apologize for not minding my way Ms.-?”   
“Evans, sir Lily Evans.” She smiled sweetly and placed her long fingered, well-manicured hand in his. As they shook hands, Severus didn’t feel as much dread as he had thought he would, although he was not entirely opposed about grabbing Lily and leaping right out of the left window. So yeah, not as much dread as he’d thought seeing the Dark Lord and Lily shaking fucking hands dearestbloodymerlinfuck.   
“Very pleased to make your acquaintance Ms. Evans. Mr. Snape. I’m your new defense against the dark arts professor, Professor Gaunt.” He gave her a little half bow and she smiled.   
“Pleased to meet you professor.”   
“Would you both mind awfully showing me to my office? I’m afraid I’ve forgotten all the changings stairs patterns since my last visit.”  
“Oh, ‘course we will Professor, won’t we Sev?”  
He nodded wordlessly, still trying to breathe, meeting the man’s eyes as he gave him an amicable nod.   
“So how come you want the defense job professor?” Lily asked curiously as she skipped along beside him.   
“It’s always been a passion of mine, the way so many different subjects all combine into the most basic human nature. Self-defense. Runic defensive shields and the like.”  
Lily hummed. “Similar to ward-breaking.”   
To Severus’ shock Gaunt gave her a genuine smile and nodded “Well someone reads ahead.”   
Lily grinned in response as they reached the office and she gestured to the door.   
“Yeah I do for sure sir, but not as much as Sev does, sometimes I think he was missorted.” Her eyes crinkled with laughter as Gaunt jiggled the door handle.   
The office was cleared out completely, as blank and plain as a St. Mungo’s waiting room. Gaunt waltzed in and lounged at the black leather chair behind the desk, a king on his rightful throne. He looked contemplatively at the classroom door before beckoning to them both. The door closed behind them and Severus flinched. He and his muggleborn friend were trapped in a room with the Dark Lord. As if his January couldn’t get any worse. His hand went straight to his wand, though Lily had no such compunction dropping her preservation in favor of egging Gryffindor curiosity. 

“Tea?” Gaunt's polite query broke him out of his panic and he nearly yelled as Lily gracefully took a seat and eagerly accepted his offer as a houself popped up the requested tray. He accepted the cup handed to him, listening to Lily chatter to him in her own unique way that lowered the guard of every man, woman and creature on the planet, interrogating the man on each and every topic on the OWLs curriculum.   
“And really you know I did ask Professor Merrythought for some sort of OWL midterm but nooooo he said that if we watched him do the spells and knew the theory, we’d be fine.” Severus couldn’t help but agree whilst breathing deeply through his nose though he did manage to bob his head in assent. He never ever thought he’d be sitting in Hogwarts complaining about the Defense curriculum with Lily and The Dark Lord. It was like some strange sort of fever dream. He kept a wary eye on all the exchanges between Lily and Gaunt waiting for some sign of stress, but Gaunt seemed more than happy to answer each of them in turn, with the passion and patience only found in the master of a craft. But as they talked it became clear that the dark lord was a master of most, if not all crafts though he flourished when talking to Lily who hung on his every word. And had Severus been a random student in classroom, he’d be hooked too. It was only as the dinner warning bell rang that the two broke their deep debate on whether Hyde’s or Benbrook’s arithmancy theory would be more effective when designing a shield on a cloak or item. Personally, Severus would just use both. His stomach plummeted as Gaunt rested his chin on folded hands and said   
“Alas Ms. Evans it appears we will need to finish this discussion in class sometime, no?”  
“I’ll look forward to it, sir. See you Monday! C’mon Sev.”, her bag slung over her shoulder as she beckoned to him.   
Severus wanted nothing more than to leave that classroom and try to process the whole afternoon and was set to leave before Gaunt cut in smoothly “actually I’d like a word with Mr. Snape if you don’t mind Ms. Evans. Won’t be long. I promise I’ll return him to you before dinner.” The smile he gave her could woo a war hardened gangster and she smiled back, glancing at him uncertainly.  
“Ok, sure sir. I’ll wait for you right outside Sev, ok?” That was as much a warning to Gaunt as it was to him and as she left with a flash of red hair, his earlier calm was shattered, like a brick through an old lady’s window. 

“I assure you lad, I don’t bite. Go ahead, ask all you want.”   
Severus stared. Then opened his mouth and let everything just tumble out.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Severus and Gaunt have that little chat, Gaunt rants and Severus has a whole fairs worth of emotional roller-coasters all at once.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, here's chapter 3 with that dreaded talk, hope it lives up to its hype. Lemme know what you think if you want and if you get a sec. Stay safe everyone and Thanks!

Chapter Three

Gaunt waved his wand and cast the most complicated looking privacy spell Severus had ever seen, as he gulped nervously and settled back into the seat. His back was so straight it had already begun to ache from its ramrod like position and his hands were fisted so tightly on his robes his knuckles bled white. He stared straight at Gaunt blankly though the panic consumed him like a swarm of angry bees, vying for the same flower.   
“Which would you use?” The abrupt question startled Severus and he blurted out  
“What?”  
Gaunt raised an eyebrow. “Which would you use, Hyde’s or Benbrook’s theory?”  
“Uh, both, I would use both sir.”   
Gaunt paused like he hadn’t quite expected that and hummed consideringly.   
“Interesting choice.”  
“Uh, yessir I’m um I’m sorry?”  
Never in his life had Severus sounded so inelegant, his mother would be horrified.   
“Oh, don’t be, your talent at potions precedes you but I hadn’t realized other academic pursuits were of interest to you.”  
“I’m shite at Transfiguration.” He admitted and than internally screamed at himself, picturing the exact giant mallet he wanted to use to bash himself in the head right now.   
‘Lord, Severus how stupid can you possibly be?!’ he was so busy berating himself he didn’t notice Gaunt's bemused smirk at his obvious plight. 

“It is rather a difficult subject and on the topic of difficult subjects I feel I must emphasize that I mean Ms. Evans no harm. You seem rather certain of the contrary.”  
“Yes well, do forgive me if a man who claims to hate muggles and mudbloods taking an interest in my muggleborn friend doesn’t set off every bloody alarm bell in the system for me!” Severus snapped, rising to his feet, wand in hand. He wasn’t sure when he’d grabbed it out of his pocket, but its heady weight gave him confidence, though not enough to point it at the Merlinbedamned Dark Lord.   
Said Dark Lord seemed to hate this statement as he growled like a napping bear being poked with a stick. Which is to say, not well.  
“Well I’m sorry if I had to feed the purebloods a load of something because Godric knows they know nothing about genetics or-or inbreeding-they’re worse than the Ancient Egyptians-and the plan was to work my way up to ‘hey you know maybe breeding with these new generation Maj’s could be pretty darn handy’ but noooo now they all have the pureblood rhetoric drummed into them, all my hints are like pulling teeth! Do you have any idea how hard it is to keep a secretive, jealous, greedy, wonderful, beautiful culture alive whilst trying to share it safely with society?!” 

Gaunt leapt from his seat and began to pace with barely controlled steps.   
“I mean how on Earth do they expect muggleborns to integrate to their society if they won’t share with them how it’s supposed to be done? Of course muggleborns want to celebrate Christmas or Hanukah, that’s all they know they don’t anything different; about Yule or Samhain or-or any of it because if that Old Bastard had his way we’d all be buried in a hidey hole, powerless and completely stripped of our magic just because he got hit with one dark spell one time and just brands it all evil!”

Severus shook his head wordlessly. While he agreed with each and every syllable, the relief flooding him was overpowering. That is what he wanted. That was his ambition that landed him in Slytherin. The craving of all knowledge no matter what, like a Ravenclaw, the dedication to the hard work in the discovering of all of it, like a Hufflepuff and the bravery to fight for that knowledge, forbidden or not, like a Gryffindor. Though he would never admit it, house-proud as he was.  
“Yes sir. I-I agree. Completely.” He nodded fervently, passion bleeding through every gesture.  
Gaunt cleared his throat and seemed to realise how long he’d been ranting and said a little quieter, “Yes, well, that’s why the political route might be slightly more efficient, whilst Lucius works to push my bills forward little by little, I’ll work to discredit Dumbledore, prove he’s unfit to lead this school…”  
“And if he’s unfit to lead the school, he’s unfit to lead the Wizengamont and the Confederation and poof, there goes his power.” Severus murmured and Gaunt relaxed.   
“Yes, yes exactly. Now, come, tell me, you were saying both Hayes and Benbrook’s’?”   
Not fazed at the swift change in topic and feeling a lot less like he was standing on a vaulting pole on the edge of a cliff with the Kraken, Severus felt comfortable to turn his attention to the problem presented.   
“Well if you overlap both with Alkhanctz’ Runework, like Hawdyen Cuthbert’s work the result should work in reverse, letting the, uh, cloak if you like, enchant itself to heat or cool at will!”  
“Ah, Hawdyen Cuthbert. He developed the first moving photograph did he not?” Gaunt smiled an enigmatic sort of smile as Severus’ excitement invaded him completely when the cogs turned in his brilliant mind. Marvolo could respect a head like that, even if its owner were young, cautious and one wrong wind away from brittlely shattering.   
“Yeah, he did! He thought he got his potion experiment wrong but when he dropped his muggle photo in it by mistake it proper glowed and he used Alkhanctz’s first volume of runes to make it move. I’m dying to be able to recreate it but apparently, it’s ‘too dangerous for school labs’.” Severus sneered, his mimicry of Slughorns manner not a flattering one.   
“You’re aiming for your mastery, are you not?” Just like that, at the mention of Severus’ most coveted goal, the walls flew up as fast as a Goblins fist on a Galleon, his expression closed off and his posture guarded once more.   
“Yessir.” The words were stony and resolute, leaving no room for any response, but Marvolo had never let that phase him and continued blithely   
“Excellent, should you make the strides I expect by your OWLs I would be more than willing to agree to a sponsorship. That is-” he looked up at the pale, trembling child through his long eyelashes “-if you are interested of course.”

A sponsorship. Merlin's saggy balls, he had never considered the likes of it, not even once. Sponsorships were the Dragons Gold for the want of a better term, highly coveted and never gotten. And here the Dark Lord was offering to pay his whole way through the mastery program save him thousands of galleons, (or in Severus’ case years of indenture work as he wasn’t a rich boy pureblood and would never have enough money even if he did the whole of Slytherin houses homework for the next three years) and a term under a ruthless, often cruel Master. Such a sponsorship would be invaluable, meaning he could simply work to his heart’s content-i.e. very fucking hard-and then just send his own potions creations to be tested and approved by the Mastery Board. Unlike the purebloods, who got a shock when their daddies weren’t allowed sponsor them, no it had to be a genuine (read: no nepotism) submission by someone invested in the student’s work. Such a thing was a dream. But Severus was not stupid. And dreams were not free.   
“In exchange for what?” He asked warily. “Sir I have nothing I can give you in return.”  
“Could you not accept it as it is? An honest gesture?” Gaunt asked softly, and almost sadly as he surveyed Severus with a worried frown. Surely the boy was not yet so jaded.   
Severus choked on a bitter laugh.   
“I’m not so stupid sir. Kindness is not for nothing, people don’t get jackshit in this world for free! Certainly not people like me!”   
Jaded and bitter it seemed he was.   
Gaunt sighed. The boy reminded him of himself at that age, in all the good ways and all of the bad. He was one push away from irreparable anger and one soft word away from salvation.   
“Consider it a forward investment.” He assured calmly, seeing the fight drain out of the boy like a holey sieve holding too many tons of flour. 

“We can talk about it again, should you wish.” Gaunt chose his words carefully and delivered them softly.   
“Yessir if you say so.” The boy was stood like a soldier, greasy hair hiding his angry snarl from view.   
“Go on then. Best not leave Ms. Evans waiting.” The boy fled like a terrified child, slamming the door, and leaving Marvolo alone to wonder where the lad with passion spilling from his soul had gone and what exactly had Marvolo done to draw out the tired veteran in his place. The bell chimed for dinner again and he rose from his seat with the silence of a haunted grave.


	4. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Severus has a decision to make, a good time and a very bad time and so much angst, Gaunt plays superhero but a really salty one and some certain people get a good tongue lashing. Oh and rants, everyone rants.  
> Also :WARNING BRIEF ANIMAL DEATH

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Um. Hi. This chapter is 3 times the length it should be because Severus kept having angst and no other chapter will be this long. I mean I don't think....  
> So yeah if you could let me know what you think that'd be great. Thanks!

Chapter Four

Severus paced around the empty dorm room in jerky circles, wearing a hole in the fine green carpet. What the hell was he supposed to do? He wanted nothing more than to accept Professor Gaunt's sponsorship but the very real fact that it was as good as owing the Dark Lord his allegiance made his tongue taste sour, like someone had crammed a lemon through his teeth but said lemon skin was coated in salt and-no that was too far. Severus collapsed on his bed and, with his hands grasping his hair, groaned with the misery of a thousand unfortunate orphans. He stiffened then, going on high alert immediately. Somehow, despite all his wards on his bed and trunk and homework and well…everything he owned; his dorm mates had struck again. He pulled back his duvet, wand raised and ready to leap away at a second’s notice. His entire digestive system heaved at the sight before him, poor Cynthia Summers’ new kitten, dead and gutted in Severus’ bed, the blood dribbling all the way down to the end of the bed and through his mattress. He gritted his teeth and saddled himself with the Herculean task of scrubbing it clean both magically and manually because as his mother used to say “Sometimes nothing beats a bit of hand scrubbing Severus.” whenever he’d try to force accidental magic to clean the dishes. She always laughed at him and told him “Next time, my dove. Now stop that before your father gets home and sees you.” 

Even thinking briefly of the man made Severus’ fond smile disappear into the crevices of a hateful scowl and he scrubbed harder. As hard as it was to make any headway, despite the spectacular invention of cleaning charms, he would rather do it a thousand times then have to be the one to go tell poor Cynthia Summers her little cat was dead. She had the unfortunate predicament of being in the same boat as him, those hers had far more holes and a shark underneath-wow his metaphors were as lively as that cat today-for she happened to be muggleborn which was her only crime, though punishable by death of cat and social life.

Severus sighed, because despite his pity for her, she really had made no attempt to integrate at all, kept ranting on about muggle things whilst insisting wizards were backward-that he did agree with to a degree-and by the time she finally wised up and asked around for etiquette information, it was too late. He almost wanted to beg Lily for her help, she was always kind, but he knew the second he told her how revealed even a hint of what his dormmates did-or tried, they didn’t often succeed in anything actually harmful-she would march right up to Dumbledore or McGonagall and make everything worse, despite her intentions to do otherwise. He sighed again and, with a grimace, decided to at least spare little Summers something, and burned the cat to ash with a flick of his wand and one more to vanish it.   
An hour later, he went down for lunch, robes covered in the tears of a sobbing second year. He grimaced, praying he could suggest studying cleaning charms subtly enough to Lily that she’d buy it. He waved at her from across the Great Hall, her cheerful smile ever as infectious. He’d just sat down to pick at a sandwich stuffed with cheese and every vegetable on offer for lunch, avoiding the ham like the plague, when an over-exuberant owl dropped him a letter. Or literally dropped it on him, landing it in his roll. He poked it out with a confused grimace. Who would be writing him? The only person worrying after his wellbeing was sitting two tables away. Before so much as touching it he slid his wand from it’s holster a little further down his sleeve and fired a detection spell, keeping it out the range of prying eyes.   
When he satisfied it wasn’t a prank from Potter and wasn’t going make him sprout horrible boils or something, he opened it with a burning curiosity and read the contents at Godspeed.   
************************************************************************  
Dear Mr. Snape  
I have come to the conclusion that I may have acted too hastily yesterday yet I do wish to inform you that my offer was only of a genuine want to help. If my sponsorship is not your desire, I merely ask that you allow me to get in touch with someone else willing to take on a sponsor. I only desire so to watch you flourish despite what others may think of you and your blood. It would be hypocritical of me to deny you an opportunity when I so desperately wished for one myself. I have great respect for you and I think one day you will be a fine young man to bring about a change in this world that you so desire.   
As I said, my offer for sponsorship is still open and I swear to you I will not abuse such a privilege if you decide to grant it. There are no strings attached because, as you told me yourself yesterday, you have nothing to give me in return but your considerable talent. Accepting this offer does not tie you to me in any way you do not want. There is no use in such an oath if not given willingly after all. It is merely like a water rune inscribed on one of fire, useless and altogether unbinding enough to be the undoing of whichever magic holds it together.   
I hope to see you attending my class today and I request an answer after the lesson today.   
Regards   
Lord Marvolo Slytherin-Gaunt  
***********************************************************************  
Severus stared at the compliments in shock and then scowled at the last bit. Trying to force his hand, the bastard. He stuffed the rest of his roll into his mouth and resolutely ignored the staff table. The second he finished swallowing he bolted, deciding to wait for Lily outside the classroom.  
The relief he felt when he finally sagged against the wall was unparalleled and he directed his thoughts around the sponsorship and the screaming want to just accept. The bell chimed and Severus straightened as his classmates rounded the corner. He craned his head to look for a flash of red hair and was subsequently unprepared to be shoved against a wall.   
Sirius Black loomed over him with all the confidence of a steroid-taking athlete, his teeth perfect and his cologne choking every sense Severus had.   
“Back the fuck off Black, I’m really not in the mood.” The familiar anger flared up inside him and he shoved against the hand slammed next to his head.   
“What’s wrong Snape, missing your momma to come save ya? Gonna cry like a kid again?”  
“On the contrary Mr. Black I rather believe it is you who might be in need of saving like a child. You missed the Wizengamont winter session, I believe your father was quite irate.” Professors Gaunt dry drawl made the students in the political know snigger. Orion Blacks II wrath was well known, and it made his son flush an angry red as James Potter leapt to his friend’s defense. 

“James don’t!”   
“Get off me, Remus! Look you, I don’t know who you are but you can’t talk to him like that! And he wouldn’t want to sit in the meetings discussing all that Dark magic drivel.”  
“Dark magic drivel? Why Mr. Potter, I’ll be sure to tell your father you think budgeting is dark magic. I’m sure he’ll be so proud. Now, inside the lot of you.” The door swung open at his flick.   
When they all settled in, whispering and giggling at James Potters misfortune halted, Lily crammed in by his side. Gaunt stood tall at the top of the classroom and clapped his hands twice. 

“Now we’ll be doing something a little different to make up the lost time you’ve suffered with Professor Merrythought, with the complete agreement of the WEA of course.” He shot them a smile and continued cheerily. “My module will require a project worth 45% of your OWL grade that you will all complete in pairs and in your own time-” a measured flick of his wand ensured each student got a lengthy piece of parchment. “And of course, for your practical examinations most of my classes will be on dueling practice with an hour of classes each week to ask your own independent study questions as I imagine you’re all bored to death of theory now.” The students laughed, grateful that this new professor was competent.   
Severus and Lily shared identical grins as they looked at the assignment requesting them to create a defensive mechanism using practical applications of other subjects. This was only their dream and they giggled at the reminder of their shared conversation with Gaunt. When all the heads around the room paired up and shared fretting ideas and strained whispers became background noise, nerves settled into Severus’ stomach as the sponsorship floated around his brain. The bell chimed far sooner then he wanted and soon enough it was only Severus and Gaunt alone in the room.  
Severus swallowed twice and stepped up to the desk. “Sir, sir about your sponsorship…” he trailed off his mind tearing itself in two over the logic that said ‘Of course we can’t trust him to do this for nothing’ and the emotional part screaming ‘Doitdoitdoitdoit.’   
“Yes? Come Severus sit down and take your time, lad. There is no rush, no pressure.” As the boy sank into the seat with trembling legs Marvolo was awed at how quickly he dug out a soft spot for himself with the dark lord by actively not trying to do so.   
“I rather think I’d like to take you up on your offer sir.” The boys head was bent so he didn’t see the full victorious grin chesiring its way across the dark lords face.   
“Wonderful. I shall be most honored to accept and I know you will do me proud.”  
His words were soft, and Severus jumped up as something about those words struck him. He’d never done anyone proud before. 

His heart was beating out of his chest and he wasn’t in control of his mouth as he blurted “I will sir I promise.” before horror struck him and he fled, racing down the corridors to the library with the grace of a baboon. He stumbled into the seat beside Lily and grinned at her when she nearly cried with laughter at the state of him; robes twisted, hair plastered to his head with sweat and his whole body in a state of complete disarray. As she brushed his hair of his forehead in gentle sweeps she murmured “You’re crazy Sev, you know that right.”  
“Crazy genius maybe.” He mocked, head high and face straight until she snorted.   
“Well that’s for sure. What’s got you so happy huh?”  
“Oh, just something in my mastery came through.”  
She squealed loud enough to make Madam Pince glare at them sternly over her catalogue and flung her arms around him with abandon. “Oh Sev I’m so happy for you! You’re gonna be the best potions master ever I just know it!”  
“Thanks Lil. But a future mastery isn’t gonna get me out of homework.” She pulled a face as they tugged out binder stuffed with piles of essays and various assignments on forcibly straightened parchment.   
“Unfortunately not. C’mon boy genius tell me the laws of heat again?”  
He sighed and launched into explanation as they sat side by side in companionable homework misery until the sun set and bloomed a red flower across the whole castle grounds.

Severus was nearly floating as he glided back to the dungeons, filled with the feeling people must have when things were finally going their way. He didn’t quite know why the dark lord was so interested in him, but until it tried to bite him, he wasn’t going to look a gifting niffler in the mouth. He was almost at the turn for the common room when a small scuffling noise caught his ear. It could be someone’s rat or cat but something in his gut told him otherwise. He raised his wand and stepped to the side. He bumped right into something solid and yelped before tripping spectacularly and rolling. He nearly screamed when Potter landed on top of him with a thump and a crack of someone’s bones, whose he wasn’t sure. 

“Flippendo!” he cried on instinct, not wanting Potter anywhere near him because where Potter was the rest were sure to follow. And speak of the devil, the marauders ran down the corridor, rushing towards their fallen comrade. As he readied himself to fight, he glanced down only to find a silvery shimmer resting at his feet. He had assumed a notice-me-not spell but an invisibility cloak…now that was interesting. Explained how Potter got around and away with so much. The second they realized he had picked it up Potters face went an ugly shade of purple, the same plum colour that Severus’ father turned before he fumbled with the belt.   
‘Interesting comparison brain, good timing thanks.’ He thought at himself sarcastically as Pettigrew screeched “He’s trying to steal it Prongs!”  
“You miserable little thief, Snivellous. Got nothing of your own to pawn no?” Black’s growl was disturbingly animalistic as he advanced towards Severus whilst Pettigrew soothed Potter and threw in a jab.   
“Well-well l-look at him, everything he owns was pawned from someone else.” Pettigrew was so proud of himself Severus wanted to stab him.   
“Hah good one, Wormy.” Potter seemed more in his element now and he and Black raised their wands in tandem.   
“Oh yes well-done Pettigrew do forgive me if I don’t attend the funeral of those last two brain cells you just wasted, I have better things to do with my time.”  
As Lupin hung back, looking as pathetically sorrowful as always, the other two casts spells with vigor, leaving Pettigrew to play cheerleader and fiddle anxiously with his own wand between dirty fingers. And they fought, two on one as usual, though sometimes it was four if Lupin could be persuaded to not be such a hypocritical martyr. A werewolf in a chivalrous lions clothing indeed. Waiting for the prime moment to strike-i.e. when he started to lose more blood then he was happy with-he threw the cloak at them, temporarily blinding them and ran, feeling like a coward.   
It was with no small sentiment of relief that he stopped outside the common room door and murmured “Purity.” before stepping inside and immediately looking to murder-strut to his dorm room, fuck his dorm-mates altogether and just sleep for a week. Or 7 hours, that’d do. Alas it seemed the beautiful seductress that was sleep was to be halted again as his path was blocked by a hulking, troll like figure.   
“Good evening Mulciber, whatever can I do for you?”  
“We told ya, Snape. Stop hanging around with that whore mudblood, just take her for what she’s good for and move on and we’ll make good on our offer to move your status up a bit ya?”  
His cronies muttered an assenting agreement, the five of them surrounding him. It was only due to his years of ‘Potter-spotting’ that he saw Regulus Black slip out a side passage and leg it down the narrow corridor that lay behind it.   
“And I thought I told you to shove your damn offer up your fat, inarticulate, inbred, full of shit arse, you biased ignorant motherfu-”  
“Quite so Mr. Snape.”  
Gaunt's second smooth interruption of the day incensed Severus who whirled around 

“AGAIN? You’re doing this again?! Tell me professor how am I ever supposed to finish a fight if you just keep swooping in like some knight in armor eh? Cause I’ve gotten on just fine without your protection so far and I don’t even know why you offered it!”  
His rant was derailed by Professor Slughorns exclamation as loud and heady as his stomach when he waddled in   
“Well I say, you boy, Snape isn’t it? This is the last time I will have you making trouble, do you hear me, lad? A good detention ought to do it.”  
“Do allow me Horace.”   
“Marvolo, Marvolo my boy, how are you? Ah so good to see you, jolly good dear fellow!” Slughorns anger was waived immediately as he pumped Gaunt's hand up and down like a rabid fan.   
“Oh I have missed my old head of house Horace it does seemed to stress you so now hm? Perhaps you’d allow me to ease some of that burden. I’m more familiar with the burdens of a young Slytherin these days.” Gaunt finished off his play with a wink as the house watched this man twirl their head around his little finger. 

As Slughorn chuckled and passed his detention onto Gaunt, before leaving with half his head of house duties and a subtly spurned invite for tea, he looked like he’d won the moon.   
The second his portly body cleared the doorway, Gaunt turned on the students like an injured viper.   
“The lot of you ought to be ashamed of yourselves. They pride the younger generations as being more intelligent and yet look at you all. You swallow the lies you’ve been fed and question nothing. Surely it does not make you rethink when a half-blood and a muggleborn in your number can take on gangs of bullies whilst some of you can not even twitch a match!”  
He scoffed and the purebloods flinched as one. Regulus smirked and clutched Cynthia Summers tighter to where his arm was wrapped around her shoulders.   
“Slytherins secret motto is unity is it not?! Well?!” When they nodded sullenly in answer, he stormed on “You stand for nothing when you desecrate that motto! When the world is against you just because of one word of many that defines you, supporting each other is instrumental and yet you squabble like children squalling in a pig pen!” At this point there was not a proud head in the room and Gaunt seemed satisfied.   
Before he left, his hand touched Severus’ shoulder and he whispered, a little hoarsely, “My office at 7 tomorrow for your detention. Bring Ms. Evans and your project notes.” 

With a gust of air, he was gone, a healing potion forcibly pressed into Severus’ torn hands. The fifth year glided interrupted to his bed and lay there for a solid minute before erupting into howling cackles of victory.


	5. Chapter Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It goes from good to Bad. Verryyyy Bad. Poor Severus. That's it, that's the chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OK A/N I’m so grateful for all the comments y’all are so amazing my mind is blown. I love all the different points and debates over everyone’s different opinions on everything, people in this fandom are still growing and changing and its fabulous. Remember to be kind to each other and also that I do have a plan, everyone is grey there is no good or evil (winkwink, except for Umbridge) and there won’t be like crazy antimuggle kill them all kinda stuff because they are still people and Marvolo does know this. He only has the one horcrux btw and certainly is not insane. Well….  
> Severus is just a bit bitter against the world, both in canon and here. The one thing I’m sure we all agree on is that the Marauders deserve a good whacking and boy oh boy will it come to them. Just wait my friends, just wait. I’ll take ideas for that one too! I’m considering adding more torture than my initial plans because you’re all wonderful so fire away, I’m considering all requests. Also WARNING FOR MINOR LIKE MEGA MINOR CHARACTER DEATH I’LL MARK IT COZ ITLL BE GRAPHIC ND SAD AND IDK WHAT TRIGGERS PPL HAVE. Take care and be safe my loves.

Chapter Five.

Severus was feeling more optimistic than he had in a very, very long time, not even the Marauders and their utter idiocy could bring him down. Though they tried rather hard, he simply felt untouchable, having researched an absurd amount of protections spells and methods for his DADA project. Lily had taken great pleasure in pantsing James Potter when he tried to make her skirt fly up and been thwarted by all the prototypes of their projects on them both. Severus had nearly died with laughter though McGonagall had frowned disapprovingly and taken points, he hadn’t cared one whit. The magic sat heavy on his skin like a warm blanket in the depths of winter and he thought he might have to get detention more often if he could come out richer in magical knowledge.  
The ‘detention’ he’d had with Gaunt was more like a study session in which he and Lily raided the mans bookshelf at his insistence to further research their project. They’d drank copious amounts of tea and Severus, in all his curiosity, the second Lily left for a bathroom break, couldn’t help but ask about the Wizengamont reports laying across his desk. 

“How is it going in the Wizengamont sir? Is-Is anything changing yet?” He leaned forward eagerly as Marvolo smiled, remembering his own thirst for change and the rebellious teenage instinct that longed for a difference and desired to scream and protest to get anything something done.  
“So many of the Wizengamont is wrapped around Dumbledore’s thumb that they will follow his vote with no research or thought of their own. They call themselves unbiased yet vote for prohibition and prejudice.” He shook his head. “It does amuse me. Most of our bills will depend on the votes of the neutrals.”  
“What’s stopping them from siding with you?” Severus frowned.  
“The aftermath of Grindelwald. A lot of what he stood for reminds people of what they think the stereotypical Dark agenda is.” Gaunt sighed and placed his head in his hands. “It is not what I wish for the world. A bridge between both, where muggleborns can freely access what is available to purebloods from the time they can walk, and make purebloods aware of the stride that muggles have made in equality and interstellar travel and the likes. I’m not so certain of my path sometimes. There must be some easy way to destigmatize muggles and ensure that secrecy is kept with the growing leaps in technology in one fell swoop.” He had trailed off, not really talking to Severus anymore just blurting thoughts out loud.

“Muggle fiction books?” Severus suggested, feeling inspired.  
“An excellent idea my lad. Get purebloods and first generation majs to share this sort of information. Instead of the hack that is Mugglestudies that only increases the stigma that muggles are less than us. At least that bill is in the process of passing.”  
“I honestly can’t say I’ve heard anything good about the current muggle studies course sir.” Severus agreed as he blurred the edge of his rune with his thumb.  
“Oh no, it’s the worst!” Lily chimed in as she closed the door and smoothed down her skirt.  
“I heard from Marlene who heard from Alice who heard from her cousin who’s a Diggory that he came out of that class thinking muggles never wash and still use carriages. I mean it’s ridiculous.” She gave a little huff as she flopped into her seat and elbowed Severus when he sniggered at how her hair rose like a balloon was floating inches above her head.  
“Oh shut up you or you can do all the transfiguration parts yourself Severus Snape, I mean it!” She threatened fiercely making him cower in fear.  
She nodded imperiously whilst Gaunt sipped his tea like a 1930’s housewife at the daily gossip afternoon tea. It turned into a very productive evening and Severus was pleased as punch with all the progress they’d made so far. Taking a shortcut to the library to return Madam Pince’s book in time lest she kill him, he hid a smirk when his housemates froze at the sight of him before scuttling away like fire-fearing crabs. 

“Afternoon Mucliber.” He called cheerfully and whistled the most obnoxious muggle tune he could think of- ‘It’s a small world after all,’ of course- and actually felt a little bad when they flinched. The joyful feeling inside him spread to his toes as his first hassle-free trip inside Hogwarts walls lasted the whole polite exchange with the polite librarian and halfway out the library doors before he was waylaid by a red-faced panting Hufflepuff 4th year who shoved a piece of paper at him then turned tail and ran.  
Severus opened the folded note with a horrible feeling in the pit of his stomach and inhaled sharply as he read it. Why in hell would Dumbledore call him up to his office? There were simply hundreds of reasons yet none of them were good. It didn’t take him long to reach the imposing gargoyle as he sped up his pace and ran with the speed of a seeker on a Nimbus 1000.  
“Um…Wham Bars?”  
The Gargoyle slid open with a ear-jarring grind and as Severus stepped up the spiral staircase, he knew what every movie damsel in distress felt like, the anticipation and gut-coiling dread, but unlike a fabulous golden age actress there would be no one to rescue him. Not from what awaited him. Knocking and ignoring the immediate offer of a lemon drop, Severus barely heard the words “accident… at home…Floo.” Due to his heart pounding so hard in his ears.  
He nodded, his brain only an a loop of ‘Mum, Mum, Mum, if he hurt her I’ll kill him for real this time.’. Severus was only dimly aware of his body choking out a “Yes sir.” Before his feet moved him to the headmasters Floo, only halted from leaping right in by Dumbledore’s gnarled, ring-covered hand on his shoulder. The touch, unexpected and very much unwanted, made him recoil and forcibly swallow vomit.  
“You’re-you’re coming with me? Sir? I don’t-I don’t understand.” Oh but then he took a look at Dumbledore’s ice cold blue eyes and it was clear as diamond water. Despite 4th years and above being allowed home for family occasions or emergencies etc. without supervision, Severus was a Slytherin without a hovering pureblood parent and was therefore Not To Be Trusted. The bitter realization didn’t shock him as much as it should have though he wanted to throw all those stupid, cluttery nick-nacks on Dumbledore’s desk at his idiotic halfmoon glasses and weak straggly beard. But such things would only delay him from going to his mothers’ aid and besides, he was half-blood on the bottom of the pecking order until yesterday. He knew how to swallow his pride.  
As the flames consumed him, green overtaking all his vision, he wondered how bad his father must have gotten for them to involve him for what was, in his house, a regular occurrence. Despite her once impressive magical talent, though not powerful, his mother had never-at least by the time he was born-stood up to his father, not in her defense or his. And despite her past as a witch intertwined in a powerful house, no one from the magical world could ever intervene with a muggle domestic dispute if they even cared to do so. When they landed in an unfamiliar house, he looked up and frowned at Dumbledore, who expression was impassive yet slightly puckered, as those his own unnecessary insistence to follow Severus was a waste of his oh so precious time.  
It was lucky perhaps the empty house next door to his was abandoned and thus perfect to set up an emergency Floo and allowed Severus to step only a few steps outside to see a couple of Aurors, looking deeply uncomfortable, standing in a muggle-repelling ward bubble on his grass. He raced forward, Dumbledores long strides echoing behind him and beating him to shake both the Aurors hands. To Severus’ utter outrage Dumbledore stood there and made small talk with the two admiring looking Aurors until Severus had had enough, the dread consuming him like a Dementors chill the longer he stood there listening to stories about wives and babies whilst his house lay silent as a grave.  
“Sir, headmaster could I please-”  
Dumbledore shot him an annoyed look, his eyes unfeeling circles of artic glaciers as always when he looked at Severus and waved a dismissive hand. “Not a toe out of line Mr. Snape, if you break so much as half a school rule you will be in detention until your OWLs.” When Severus broke into a run towards his run-down shack of a house, he heard the plumper faced Auror call out “Wait kid, don’t. Headmaster, didn’t you tell him, he can’t go in there alone.!”  
Hearing Dumbledore’s dismissive words yet again, set fuel to the adrenaline and he put his whole weight on the rotting door and crashed through in record time.  
“Mum!” he screamed, when only silence and dust particles met his entry. The house smelled horrible, worse than the usual mold and water stains that covered it. He nearly gagged as fear crushed his heart in a forceps when room after room yielded nothing. He stumbled up the stairs, falling twice and splintering open his hand on the uneven wood veiling his path.  
********** He burst into his mothers room and screamed when the body, hanging by a thick length of rope from the above pipe, swayed with the breeze.  
“Mum! Mum, nononono.” He leapt up and cast the first cutting charm that came to mind, a wandless “Sectusempra”, landing on the floor with a grunt and only staring in complete horror as his mothers vacant eyes stared back, her head and neck a blue-green colour. As he righted them both and tried to yank the rope off her angled neck, marred with lacerations and red blisters, his brain noted dimly and perversely that this was where the smell was coming from.  
**********  
Going through the motions of feeling for a pulse only took him seconds and it was less than a full minute after that a horrible wounded scream escaped him. On his knees, rocking his mother’s body in his arms with heart wrenching ugly sobs was where Dumbledore found him seconds later. Severus didn’t know what he expected when he heard the man behind him, didn’t know if his brain was in any state to process anything, but what happened was not what he ever would have considered.  
“Really now, despite the circumstances, using a dark spell in a muggle area is very irresponsible my boy.” It was like a yelled message from underwater. Something was said but Houston sure as hell wasn’t taking any voicemails right in that moment. The Aurors’ scandalized “Headmaster! That is-surely you- that is an awful thing to say to the lad! Butters, call Hogwarts, get the head of house um,-hey lad, woah there, don’t startle there now, I’m real sorry, lil buddy what house are you in?”  
The kindly man knelt right down beside Severus and held his hands up in the universal gesture of surrender and looked past the snot and tears dribbling down his face, even if his words were those more likely to be directed to a small child. It was every bit how he felt as he stuttered “Sly-S-Sly-”  
“Butters, Floo the Slytherin head of house and kindly escort the headmaster back would you?”

“Come along Headmaster.” The other auror, Butters, was quite firm and within seconds the heavy atmosphere of Dumbledore dissipated from the room. But it didn’t allow him to breathe any easier nor remove the dragon crushing his chest and his breaths came shorter and shorter in an attempt to get some oxygen, even a little. He was largely unsuccessful, his hands now as cold as the body held tightly within them, until a familiar voice right beside him started to firmly insist he draw breath back inside him slowly. His body was so heavy, and he wasn’t even sure he wanted to follow the grounding orders or why he should even bother. What was the point.  
“Come on now, Severus, I know you can do it.”  
“Can’t.”  
“Yes you can, here, may I?” and suddenly Gaunt was right there, his face swimming before Severus’ eyes and directing Severus to where their own hands where almost touching. He just felt confused and foggy and could only merely peer at the professor.  
Gaunt was endlessly patient and took his hand, drew it away slowly to give him time to withdraw, and placed it over his own chest, above the Hogwarts lapel. He could mirror the impressions of an exaggerated rise and fall of the chest he was feeling and his body did so on autopilot, desperate for air.  
When his lungs greedily sucked in oxygen, he registered that Gaunt's hand was warm over his and warm because he was alive, he was living and it brought a fresh wave of tears. Gaunt looked so incredibly bereaved he leaned forward and unwound Severus body from his mothers. He hesitated then, for a few long seconds, before hesitantly encasing Severus into his arms. When Severus registered he was being hugged, his whole system started like he had received an electric shock. 

Later, he would have liked to claim he was aware of being half carried down and through the Floo but he really only remembered coming to sometime later in Dumbledore’s office. Or at least what bit of the office he could see, with Gaunt standing in front of him, like he was going to singlehandedly shield Severus from all the perceived evil in the world. The action was so reminiscent of a mama bear curled around her cubs that it made Severus want to giggle hysterically. He listened in interest, as Gaunt, with assist from Aurors Butter and Valdez lifted Dumbledore out of it with enough venom to sustain all the gossip queens in Hogwarts for their whole lives. He had never heard anyone so purely, horrifically angry before and shrank back in fear as there was nowhere to hide, even though it was, for the first time, on his behalf. 

Gaunt finished his long winded tirade that would have made Blackbeard blush-finishing with “You’re a horrible despicable member of this faculty and a liver-bellied coward at that, too afraid to even try challenge you own erroneous judgments and now all of your students but especially my Severus to suffer because of it!”  
“Be that as it may, whatever you may think of me Marvolo it does not change the fact that the boys father-”  
“Severus, Dumbledore, has a name you would do well to use it and as both Auror Valdez and I have told you, his father is not eligible for guardianship at this time due to his incarceration. Tax evasion or some other such instance of the sort, aside from the several drunken disorderly charges that you made disappear.”  
“You cannot blame me for that my dear boy, I didn’t do it personally of course.” Dumbledore chuckled with his twinkling eyes on full display, like it was supposed to be funny.  
“But I shall be more than happy to have a firm hand over the boy.”

Severus felt as though he’d been dumped in the Irish Sea in the depths of winter before falling through the seabed and into a deep fat fryer as his skin tried to peel itself off his body at Dumbledore’s suggestion.  
“You shall do nothing of the sort. I refuse to let you use a grieving child as propaganda or some-some sort of image booster you senile old bastard! That is the last thing you will do on my watch. He is applying for a Mastery, which I’m sure you would only be happy to put an end to, and he is therefore eligible for emancipation but until he decides he wants it, under the Hogwarts charter- that you should know the content of being Headmaster-, he is under my protection in Loco Parentis as well as our Mastery Sponsorship agreement.”

Gaunt's words left no room for doubt and Severus had no emotional room for anything up to and including doubt about his now perilous situation. They finished up quickly with the Aurors leaving information to Gaunt and giving the Headmaster a rather condescending informal warning for his behavior today before they Flooed straight out, both leaving well wishes and condolences for Severus. 

It was only when Gaunt wrapped a blanket around his shoulders and shooed him up to leave that the watery rushing noise cleared completely, and he was struck with panic as Gaunt tried to steer him as gently as possible.  
“No, no I can’t go. I have homework to hand in and I have, I have Transfiguration now, I have to get to class, I-I-”  
“You need to sit down and rest lad. I’ve made all your excuses with the professors and they’ve assured me your performance is exemplary and a missed week or two of class will certainly not hurt, more if you need it.”  
“A missed-a missed week?!” Severus spluttered as he found himself back in Gaunt's office, being steered through the classroom and further into the warded quarters via a portrait and a hissed Parseltongue password. 

Gaunt plonked them both on the large couch in the center of the living room and turned to face him.  
“Severus, I need you to listen to me carefully ok? Can you do that for me little snake?”  
Severus nodded, making his brain sharpen and focus with extreme force.  
“Good boy. You need to take care of yourself alright? Dumbledore will be in each way against you now so you must be careful.” Then he sighed and reached over, hand hovering in Severus’ vicinity. He knew it was silly, but he desperately, desperately wanted the man to hug him again. Ugh he needed to grow up and fast but could only shudder as a fresh wave of tears threatened to overwhelm him.  
“Let it out, Severus. It’s alright to cry, especially now if not ever.” The words seemed to loosen a dam and all Severus could do was curl up, tuck his head in his knees and cry. If his head found its way by his professors’ leg and a blanket somehow managed to sneak under his chin, well, no-one would know. It was nearly an hour later when Severus’ body couldn’t take any more and simply released him into the darkness, for a brief semblance of peace.


	6. Chapter Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Severus is mega grieving yet he has a support system of Gaunt and Lily along with a few surprises....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys, thanks a mill for all the reviews you're all wonderful, hope you like the chapter and stay nice and safe. Lemme know what ye think if ye get a sec and if ye want to. Thanks!

Chapter Six

Severus woke up to a hand running through his hair and the sounds of a quiet, stifled sniffing. He mumbled blearily and considered turning over but liking the comfort and contact of someone so close.

“Sev? Sev are you awake sweetie?” Lily that was Lily, why was she in his dorm, it was a boy’s dorm and there was other Slytherins! He bolted straight up, the blanket around him slipping down as his rushed move nearly gave Lily a nosebleed. He wasn’t in his dorm he was…somewhere else. A sitting room? Why was he-oh. Oh Merlin. He felt the little colour he possessed at any one time drain from his face and was thankful that someone conjured a bucket right in front of his nose because he couldn’t contain his nausea and promptly vomited, the empty retching of his stomach incomparable to the pain of the gaping hole grief had pierced in his soul.

“Mum. Lily my mum...”

Lily’s eyes filled with tears as he looked up at her, doubtlessly looking a state, her own eyes raw and as red as her hair. “Oh Sev, I’m so so sorry. Oh god. I don’t, I don’t know what to say I’m so sorry.” She put her hand on his arm and asked “Could I give you a hug? Would that be ok?”

“Yes please.” His voice was watery and broken and as she tugged him into her arms, he couldn’t help but collapse into her and let a dry sob escape him. The action was automatic but his tear ducts had dried up so he just trembled as she squeezed him like crushing his ribs could crush his grief. They both wished it could.

As the memories came hurling back at him like a bludger, he swallowed dryly. Auror Valdez, and Dumbledore-and Oh Merlin Dumbledore. That manipulative goat fucker. And Gaunt. Good motherfucking shit, he cried on Professor Gaunt. Because now his mum was gone. This wasn’t real, some horrible fever dream. Oh how he wished it, despite the very couch he was sitting on telling him otherwise. He sighed and stood up, desperate all of sudden for some normalcy.

“Can we-can we go to class now Lil?” His tone was frighteningly bleak, and she frowned at him concernedly before smoothing out her expression.

“Sev…Sev I don’t think that’s a good idea, you need to rest.”

“No, no I need to go I can’t miss class.” Dumbledore was bound to be watching after all. He stood up, pulled on his shoes and the fresh socks left on top of them.

“Increbresco.” The freshening charm tidied and cleaned cursory sweat and grime off his body.

“My mastery grades depend on it and-and she was so proud Lily when I told her so I have to-have to get it I have to go.” He stumbled over his laces and Lily hurriedly grasped his arm, the only thing holding him upright.

“OK Sev. We’re gonna go. But I’m going with you to each and every single class you hearin’ me?”

“We have different timetables.” He stared at her in confusion.

“I would be pretty damn surprised if any damn professor dared to kick me out and besides...” she bit her lip, hesitant to tell him.

“It’s two o clock, you missed lunch and you’ve only got Transfiguration then Potions and Defense, both of which we share anyway you silly dolt. Which is the only reason I’m not sitting on you to make you stay here by the way.” She warned him sternly, sounding so much like her own mother it made him crack a smile.

“Thank you.” Severus said softly, not removing her hand from its vice grip on his arm. They walked to class in silence, Severus’ mind a blank canvas of white and Lily at a complete loss for her normally comforting words.

The shock on McGonagall’s face when she saw him would have been a treasured memory and he gave a weak smile and said, “Please professor, I just need to do something else so I can…process.”

“Of course, Mr. Snape, my dearest sincerest condolences on your loss. I know I am not your head of house yet do know as Deputy Head you can come to me if at any time you want to.” Her usually harsh brown eyes were soft and even though it was with pity, something about it choked Severus up.

“Thank you ma’m.”

“I’ll expect nothing from you today, just try take in what information you can and ensure you look after yourself.”

“He will Professor. I’ll make sure.”

“Very good Ms. Evans, everyone take your seats and let’s begin, shall we?”

As he slunk to the back, Lily became a red blur amongst the Ravenclaw Blue and Slytherin Green as she glared stubbornly at the entire room, daring them to ask her why she was there.

Severus did hold his quill to parchment, he honestly did but he didn’t take in a word of Gamp’s Law revision. It was important for his OWLs and for his overall grade but the only thing on his parchment at the end of the 50-minute class was little ink dots, fainter and fainter as the ink had dripped off. All he could think of was his mother and how her fingers would curl when she held him, how she would sing to him when his father was still in the local, and let him dance with her to the old Frank Sinatra record she had. The way her cries came through the shoddy walls at night and how long her bruises took to heal and how tightly she would hug him afterwards, with her conviction as she reiterated that he would be a great wizard one day. The very day he struggled through a beginner’s guide to potions on his 6th birthday and her utter tears of joyous pride that was the first memory for his patronus practice.

He stood up in a daze, his body moving with sheer muscle memory as he packed up his bag and let his feet move him and a worried Lily to Potions. Slughorns bubbly attitude and blatant ignorance of Severus’ general existence meant this class was torture. It was lucky he could brew Felix Felicis by memory despite its volatile nature because he couldn’t have taken in the hurried-and incorrect or least not as potent-instructions on the board if he tried.

He was so unfocused on the rest of the world around him, he failed to notice the amplified sniggering to his left, in Gryffindor territory. Lily was stirring her potion vigorously, muttering both threats and cooing encouragement at it like it was a spoiled child.

“Add a little more hellbore before you stir again.” He murmured.

“Oh, thanks Sev. Yours looks wonderful.” She gave him a hopeful encouraging smile, like his muscle memory superseded his grief. He managed to choke out a thanks before sprinkling the Ashwinder Egg into his potion. It was at its most dangerous right now, bubbling at a high enough temperature to blister the skin. This was without, of course, the salamander skin thrown over his shoulder into the cauldron. 

Severus stared in shock as the cauldron bubbled, frantically scaling through the notes in his head as he could find nothing that would cause this sort of reaction. His mind was not working fast enough to counteract it and he felt nothing but pain as the potion flared up and covered him. He heard Potter and Black howl with laughter as his arms were covered in it and his robes smoked and the shirt fabric on his arms burned away.

“Honestly Mr. Snape, what mess is this, I’ve never seen the likes of it.” Slughorn tutted as he waddled over and vanished Severus’ cauldron as the boy let his robe sleeves fall down to cover the burns on his hands and arms.

“I’m sorry sir.” He said as Lily turned a horrific shade of red and turned on Black and Potter with the vengeance of a scorned harpy, breaking all school rules and hexing them both as their laughter turned to shrieks as they broke out in howls.

“You! How dare you, you spineless pair of cowards the both of you, you have the nerve to call yourselves Gryffindors. Sir, it wasn’t Severus’ fault, he’s brilliant, his potions never-”

“Enough Ms. Evans! 20 points from Gryffindor for using magic in such a volatile environment and I’m sorry to have to do this but both of you out!” He pointed a portly finger towards the door and Finite’d the spell on the Marauders.

He vanished both their cauldrons and Lily stormed right out, grabbing their bags and Severus’ arm as she did so to pull him along. He went along with her, not wincing even though her grip scalded his wounds. She pulled him up the stairs, hopping the trick step and marching straight to Gaunt's classroom. She knocked on the door and then burst in when there was no answer. They were sat at their seats for no less than 30 seconds before Lily leapt up and began to pace the empty classroom.

“How dare he, the completely biased git! That’s so unfair. And does Potter even realise how dangerous what he did is?” Her ranting faded into background noise as rushing filled his ears and his heart thumped a little harder.

He gazed ahead blankly, seeing nothing for several minutes before Professor Gaunt placed a hand on his arm. “Severus? Why are you here lad? Did I not explicitly tell you that you do not have to go to class?”

“You-you did? But you said Dumbledore would be watching me so I didn’t want to- to get in trouble.”

“I did, now come along, he will not make trouble for you today. I rather fear Ms. Evans will kill him herself if he tries. You are in no fit state to concentrate at all.” Gaunt put a hand on Severus’ back, propelled him up and forward back to the quarters he was in earlier.

“Sit here, an elf will bring up some lunch, ask for whatever you want as long as you eat a little something.” He draped a folded blanket around the shaking boys’ shoulders and placed a hand on his arm, “I shall be right back after the class, drift off to sleep if your body demands it.”

When, true to Gaunt's word, seconds after he left, an elf popped up, Severus longed for nothing more than food from the one chippy that was in the whole of Cokeworth that his mother saved up for a treat for his birthday each year, and as he was older, his return home, if she was with it enough to remember. He hesitantly mentioned that to the little elf that peered up at him with too large eyes, praying the houselves could do chips, and was pleasantly surprised when said elf squeaked in delight and popped off to order said chipper food.

When food in that all too familiar packing appeared Severus grinned through his tears and ravaged the greasy treat with relish and, as he lined his chips in the same order he had for nearly 10 years now said, “For you mum. I’m going to keep going I promise. I want to do you proud and I want to live.” His voice cracked on the last word as he raised a can of muggle soda.

“A rather wonderful vow I think.”

“Thank you sir.” Severus turned to face Gaunt and, on an impulse he would later cringe so hard over, held out the half empty bag to offer the Dark Lord a chip from a muggle fast food hub. Gaunt raised an eyebrow and, to Severus’ shock, reached his hand into the shiny bag and popped a chip into his mouth with the finesse of a professional.

“Mmmm very good, I understand your request.” Gaunt sat down beside him, chewing speculatively. “It may be a reticent question but how are you feeling?”

Severus had to think about this for a very long time as he finished his meal before an appropriate summary answer sprung to mind. “Weird. Off. Like suddenly it’s too real and then its not at all. My brain won’t make up its mind.”

“Perfectly understandable and normal.” Gaunt soothed. “If it helps, I think you have several friends looking out for you.” Severus’ head shot up.

“Lily?”

“No, not just Ms. Evans. You appear to have done what no man has managed and conquered the entire dorm of 5th year Gryffindor Girls.” He pulled and unshrunk a small package from his robe pocket. “I was mobbed after class, Mr. Snape so I hope you appreciate the large quantities of fudge that I restrained myself from eating. You’re welcome.”

Severus giggled and accepted the care packages. It looked like the collective powers of Alice Nelson, Marlene McKinnon, Mary McDonald and Pandora Holland had landed him with two of the softest baggy jumpers, one hand knitted, and as Gaunt said copious amounts of fudge.

There was another parcel at the end in a neat little black box, a ring with a tiny off colored silver pearl in the middle of it.

“This isn’t from the girls is it?” His voice was shaking with emotion at the sheer kindness of the Gryffindor girls and whoever this ring was from.

“No. No it is not. It is a very old heirloom, one that allows the wearer to place a few memories of a lost beloved person in that little pearl there. Then it is said, so I have heard, that the good memories come to the wearer in times of trouble. A hand on one’s shoulder, a kiss, a whisper, that sort of thing. The things muggles would attribute to an angel on a shoulder.”

Severus clasped the ring in his hands and stared at it in awe. To be able to hear his mother’s voice again or feel her warmth one more time. “Who-you said heirloom., whose family would-”

“The Blacks.”

“Regulus.” Severus breathed.

“Yes. He was rather adamant you have it. Shouted at me too.”

“He-he did?”

“Oh yes. Language’s as colorful as his brothers anyway that’s for sure.” Gaunt shook his head slowly, a mockery of a tragic motion making Severus laugh again.

“I must tell Lily to thank all of her friends. That’s really rather wonderful of them to do. Especially for a Slytherin they don’t even know.” He frowned a little, wondering if he should write out thank you letters.

“I believe Ms. Holland was under the impression that you were going to escort them all to Hogsmeade next weekend.”

“I will what?”

Gaunt hummed. “She seemed rather certain. Some very odd knowledge that girl. To ward off bothersome suitors I believe.”

Severus laughed. Good, now he was officially the Gay Best Friend of the whole Gryffindor girl’s dorm. There were worse things to be, so he allowed himself the joy and imagined his mother would laugh too and tell him sharpen himself up if he was going to escort a gang of lovely ladies out. His smile dimmed and Gaunt said

“If the thought bothers you I’m sure Ms. Evans will-”

“No its not that but I don’t haveanymoneytogo.” He muttered the last bit, mortified as heat rushed to his cheeks. “And maybe I shouldn’t.” It was disrespectful wasn’t it? To run off to Hogsmeade a week after his mother had just…. Yeah, he would break it to Lily.

Gaunt put a gentle finger under Severus’ chin. “I think you should go. I will not force you, but you cannot punish yourself for living Severus. I understand you may wish for a period of mourning, but the truth is you will likely never stop grieving. She’s your mother. It may not feel as potent next week, next month, ten years from now but it will always be there. I have no doubt you miss her greatly and it has only been a day and you are already handling yourself remarkab-”

Gaunt stopped and frowned, looking at where his wrists where Severus had his hands on his head.

“What happened?” His voice was low and angry, and Severus couldn’t help it. He flinched away from the Angry Male voice Too Close to him and raised his hands in front of his face and stomach.

“I’m very sorry Severus, it was not my attention to startle you. Might I check over your arms, make sure you are alright?”

Gaunt's voice was as soothing as it had been last night and he felt his adrenaline rocket back down. He looked at the man for a long, long minute, gauging every inch of his open, honest face before holding his arms out.

“Thank you, that was very brave of you little snake. If I hurt you, or you want me to stop at any point feel free to yell or kick me ok?” he smiled with white teeth and Severus returned it automatically, the fear gone as gentle hands prodded at the formed, red blisters coating his arms.

“I’m going to have to tear off the robes, some of it has melted right into these blisters. Do you need a pain potion?” The professor flexed his hand and aforementioned potion came flying into it.

Severus shook his head and said “No sir, its all numb now and when it was sore, I was kinda um numb myself, so I didn’t really um,”

Gaunt pursed his lips and looked at Severus disapprovingly. “I’m going to assume it was not your fault.”

“What, why, Slughorn did!?”

“Horace is a biased, blind, gold digging idiot, he misses talent under his nose until he has something to gain from it. Of course he would assume the fault is yours than acknowledge his own classroom is a disaster zone. Who threw Salamander skin into your Felix Felicis?”

Severus grinned at Gaunt's immediate familiarity with the predicament and snorted. “Who d’ya think? 3 guesses.”

“Those buffoons will get what’s coming to them my lad don’t you worry. If you and your fellow students don’t do it, I will.”

“You can’t kill them sir.”

“Oh you just watch me.”

“Yes please, two tickets.”

Gaunt snorted. “Cheeky brat. Careful now, take that potion if you need it. This may hurt.” With a shredding sound he pushed the black robe carefully up the elbow and slowly removed the fabric caught in the blisters formed over the burns.

The second he did the whole of both robe arms just disintegrated and Severus shrugged the rest of it off staring in despair as the ruined clothing dropped to the floor.

Gaunt froze in his examination of the wounds and said “Severus, would you mind if we photographed these?”

“Go for it.” Severus shrugged. Evidence against them never did much anyway.

When photos were rapidly taken, Gaunt resumed his careful ministrations on Severus, applying a salve he whipped out of seemingly nowhere.

The blisters healed in seconds and faded to thin marks, as Severus clutched his gifts back to his chest with joy and said “Well at least I’ll have a reason to wear these jumpers. I’ve got no more damn robes left.” He hadn’t actually meant for this to be heard but he could practically see the wheels turning in Gaunt's brain when he mentioned this and watched as the man decided a course of action Severus doubtlessly wasn’t going to like.

“Go buy yourself some new ones.” And he dropped a bag of galleons-a heavy bag-into Severus’ lap.

“Sir, sir no I can’t accept this.” He protested, but even as he did, Severus knew there was no sense in arguing with a Dark Lord. He would have an answer for every protest Severus came up with.

“Yessss you can. Think of it as a mastery stipend. There you go. Pocket money. Go spend. Buy some spill-proof robes, decent ones to last you through your Mastery.”

“That sounds like hell.”

“Shopping for robes when you’re escorting the ladies? Oh it will be.”

Severus faux-sighed but then bit his lip shyly. “Thank you very, very much sir. For this and for everything really.” He lifted a shoulder, feeling awkward and uncomfortable with the sentiment.

“Anytime. I have a meeting, but stay here and get some sleep, your dorm-mates may not bother you anymore but my cushions are comfier.”

With comfier being his last word, The Dark Lord swept out the room with Magnificence and Severus slid on the ring and focused his occlumency.

“I hope this thing works Mum, I feel like I’m going to need you soon.”


	7. Chapter Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Severus needs some alone time, mops in front of the stars, meets a cute guy, etc. etc.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys, chapter 7 is slightly shorter then the others but oh well, lemme know what ye think xx

Chapter Seven

Severus grinned at the gaggle of girls around him whilst their bags weighed heavily on his arms. He floated along beside them; his neck wrapped in a myriad of scarves. The Gryffindor scarf clashed with his own scarf and his house pride along with the other array of scarves the girls had picked out for him. They decided he looked ‘cold’ and was ‘too skinny’ so therefore half the bags he carried were for him. Not that he had been allowed to spend a galleon of his own money, despite his new mastery stipend. Merlin forbid he be allowed to buy his own things on a Girls Treat Fashion Trip.  
The sky was darkening as they got into a carriage, the skeletal horse like creatures pulling them whinnied softly and he tutted unknowingly, in an attempt to soothe their impatience. Pandora squeezed his arm.   
“I know, Severus. You’ll be ok.”   
“How can you possibly know?”  
She nodded forwards and he sucked in a sharp breath. “You can see them too?”  
“Oh of course. Don’t worry Sev. You’re not crazy, Hun.”  
He gave her a sheepish grin and leaned into Lily, who put her head on his shoulders.

“Thanks for coming Severus.” This exclamation came from the most unexpected source, a tight-lipped Mary McDonald who was always the most disdainful of his presence.   
“My pleasure.” He replied softly, foregoing the sneering response he ordinarily would have.  
“Yeah, it was nice to not have to hex away nosy bastards trying to follow us into Periwinkles for once.”  
“And your advice was stellar!”  
Marlene McKinnon and Alice Nelsons input made him cringe as he recalled his visit to the lingerie shop. Having five women model underwear in front of him would be any straight or bi guys dream but all Severus felt was complete panic, because how on earth did they expect him to know which shade of red looked better in which lace?

And yet he felt unyielding gratitude towards Lily as she had sent him a smirk from behind the mirror, forever confident in her heels and curves, knowing damn well he certainly wasn’t thinking about his mother for once, in that moment or for most of the day, as it turned out. They were a demanding group. His good mood dimmed however, as the twinkling lights of Hogwarts’ halls called to them from above and he handed over the various bags then shrunk his own.  
“You joining us for dinner, Sev?” Lily eyes bore into his own and he gave her a weak smile.   
“I just…I uh, could use some time alone, that’s all.” He gave them a bow, and ignoring all the concerned frowns sent his way, wandered away from the Entrance Hall in the opposite direction to the Great Hall. 

Severus’s feet took him up to the Astronomy Tower on instinct and he leaned out the tower window gratefully to breathe. The sky was pitch black above him, the stars merely blips as they appeared in the darkness, like an artist’s vision finally gaining traction as silver dots spelled out the constellations.   
He traced the dots as Saiph and Rigel joined to complete Orion and let out a huff of amusement. 

“What’s so funny?”  
The voice behind him made him jump and he turned immediately, raising his wand, a hex on his lips.   
“Woah there easy now, calm down.”   
The Ravenclaw blue rather than a brusque Gryffindor red negated his fight instinct and he looked at the intruder warily, vaguely recognizing him from several Slytherin-Ravenclaw shared classes.   
“Dalessandro, right?”  
“Yeah, yeah I’m Alex, It’s uh…Snape right?”  
“Yeah.” He looked the boy up and down, and took a step backwards not looking away from the blue eyes of the Ravenclaw boy in front of him.   
The other boy didn’t move, assessing him with his eyes and giving him his space before fixing him with a friendly grin. 

“A stargazer, huh? Best past time I’m tellin’ ya.”   
“Yeah, it uh, it helps me think.”  
“Don’t imagine you need much help with that Brainiac.”  
Severus raised an eyebrow and stepped aside to allow Dalessandro to step up beside him at the jagged gap that carved out the unofficial student zone in the Astronomy tower. Dalessandro shrugged then, as his words got no comments.  
“Hey, your reputation proceeds you.”  
“Hardly.” Severus scoffed, a little smile playing around his lips. 

Dalessandro shook his head, tufts of brown hair falling to meet tanned skin as he followed Severus’ eyes and turned his eyes to the fading dark blue canvas. Severus’ chest did a funny sort of thump when the warm eyes left him. He firmly scowled and brushed it away as he refocused his attention to the sky. It normally allowed him to think when he was up here but as Dalessandro’s elbow touched his, every thought went blank aside from the ones that insisted he note how good the other boy smelt. Like coffee and old parchment-two of Severus’ favorite things, did someone dump this guy in Amortentia?-and it was a balm to his soul. He inhaled deeply, intending to breathe in the cool, fresh evening air and failed epically, sidling closer to the Ravenclaw on instinct. 

“So what shiny little sparkle caught your attention tonight?”  
“Orion.”  
“Ahhh fascinating choice, doll.” Unlike with the marauders the nicknames spieled at him didn’t offend or make his hackles raise as it did when followed by a hex or a jinx.   
“It’s a favorite of mine. Orion in the Greek myths also represents so much to me, he was a hunter of-”  
“Artemis, right?”  
Severus whipped his head around and smiled shyly, his expression automatic as his heart fluttered. ‘Stupid, you don’t know this boy just because his eyes are cute and completely gazeable doesn’t mean we leap over like an idiot.’

“Ye-yeah.”  
“One of Artemis’ hunters. Mega cool deal if you ask me.”  
“What, hanging around with half naked virgin all day?” Severus sneered, feeling the budding tolerability shrivel in his chest.  
“What, nono they get to chill and kick creeps who bother them in the balls. Cool mantra, I’d be down.”   
Severus laughed at the genuine sincerity in his voice. “That’s your idea of fun?” He grinned and then shivered as a sharp breeze cut through him, his winter cloak forgotten in one of the many bags.   
Alex sent him a skewed glance and murmured “You cold?”  
“Just a lil.” Severus shrugged, trying to play off the note of concern he heard in the boys voice for surely it was false. 

Alex clicked his fingers and murmured something to the little house elf that appeared who twitched its ears happily.   
Severus leaned back warily. “Wh-what are you doing?”  
Dalessandro only winked and not a moment later a picnic basket popped up with two steaming mugs gently on top of it.   
“What are you playing at?”  
“Well…” Dalessandro looked a little bewildered. “Well its cold up here and um in case you haven’t noticed we’ve missed dinner, not that I mind at all of course.” He sent a rougish grin Severus’ way and gestured to the basket. “So I just thought you might want a little something. I mean its cool I’ll take my hot chocolate and leave you to the awesomeness that is Hogwarts kitchens ‘leftovers’. No pressure, honest Severus I mean it, I was just tryna be nice but that don’t mean you owe me nothing for it.” Dalessandro had his hands up in the universal sign for surrender and his firm words seemed truthful, like he would just walk away and leave Severus to eat the whole basket of food-that smelt amazing-by himself.

“What do you want in return for it?”  
“Your favorite colour?”  
“You want-what, really that’s it?”  
“Well, sure, sugar, I’m a simple man and you’re so mysterious I’ve gotta start somewhere.”  
Severus raised an eyebrow and paused to listen to his gut. He didn’t have the feeling that normally accompanied something wrong and so admitted as he sat down on top of the set-out blanket.   
“Blue. My favorite colors blue.”   
Alex sat down beside him with a hesitant grin. “Is it ‘cause it matches my eyes?” He fluttered his eyelashes as he stroked the blue lapel of his robes with long fingers.   
Severus snorted, even as he felt a blush rise to his cheeks. “What-pah-huh-no. Of course not.” He tossed his head as Alex laughed and passed him a warm porcelain mug. He supped the hot chocolate gratefully as Alex unpacked sandwiches and dishes of warm and cold pasta, all with investigative hums. 

“Oooooh. Perfect.” He passed a brown carboard tub of what could only be soup to a shivering Severus and scooted closer very suavely and smoothly and did not knock over half the sandwiches, thank you very much.  
As they munched their way through piles of food that tasted better then it ever did in the great hall, Severus felt an odd sense of contentment rise up upon him as he noticed Alex’s cloak was draped around both their shoulders as its owner ranted about The Objects and Artifacts law that was attempting to prohibit Dark family’s from retaining their heirlooms if their was so much as a jinx cast upon it. This included books and that particular subsection was Alex’s victim.   
“I mean how can a book be evil? It can be wrong, sure, and biased as fuck, looking at you Slinkhard, but there’s no way one can classify a book as dark! As if that was even a bad thing! I’d like to strangle the Ministry policy makers with their own robes sometimes I swear!”

Severus actually laughed, the sound freeing and booming as he polished off the last of the sandwiches. “Now that I can agree with.”  
“See, hah, thank you. I’m sorry, I go on long winded rants a lot, though they’re not normally about politics.”  
“No?”  
“Naw. I spent a whole two hours on The Princess Bride once before I realized that all of my roommates were purebloods and didn’t have the foggiest notion what I was on about.”  
Severus groaned theatrically. “I get you; I’ve been there. But if I’d been listening, I’d have been hooked on every word trust me.”  
Alex smirked. “Good. Because I’d be talking straight to you anyway.”   
Their eyes met and Severus’ chest compressed-he needed to go to Madam Pomphrey, clearly he was having a heart attack-then Alex nudged his shoulder. 

“I suppose we’d better get this cleaned up huh?” Alex’s sigh reflected the bitter disappointment that bloomed in Severus’ own heart as they both half-heartedly waved their wands in tandem, to clean up crumbs and fold away tubs and blanket with a solemn air of finality. Their semblance of peace was broken.   
The basket popped away and they were left with darkened skies, a bitterly cold tower and a howling wind as their evening ended. 

Alex turned back to him as Severus clutched his cloak tighter, not wanting to return it even as it hung too large around his shoulders, and before he headed out the door, gave Severus a bow, low enough to signal a significant amount of respect and affection. It made Severus swallow as he floundered to find a reaction and make his tongue cooperate and not wax lyrical about the damn contrast between Alex’s skin and eye colour. Again!   
“Buonasera, mi tesoro.”   
“Alex, wait!”   
As Alex turned back, more than a little surprised, Severus said breathlessly, “You never told me what your favorite colour was.”  
Alex winked, “Why green, of course.” And spirited down the hallway like a sprite on a mission.


	8. Chapter Eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Severus gets a letter, Gaunt becomes a good dad even though I promised myself I wouldn't do it and.......The obligatory shopping trip

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everybody, sorry for the wait, this chapter wouldn’t really work for ages! Hope you like it anyway, let me know what you think if you get a sec, Thanks

Chapter Eight

Severus woke with a groan, light hitting his eyes as he rolled over on the hard tower floor. He looked over as he sat up blearily. There was an owl sitting on the ledge, its leg out and an impatient scowl on its face. Severus blinked, ignoring the ruffled hoot in favor of the Gringotts official envelope in its talons. He hung his head and sighed, even as he reached out a hand to relieve the bird of its burden. He scanned the letters contents, his head a whirl. Him? Heir to the Prince family? He thought his mother had been disowned, she had certainly held no love for her family even if that wasn’t the case. But now apparently that his mother had died, he was in line for the Prince lordship. He lay back down, letter clutched in his hands. He read it one more time, staring at the gnarled signature of Rornuk, the Prince Family account manager who requested a meeting at his earliest convenience.

Severus’ lips trembled as he crumpled the letter in his pocket. He freshened up his robes and ran a hand through his damp hair, looking outside at the rain in disgust, the sliver of last night’s full moon still visible. He hadn’t even noticed it last night, having been too…preoccupied. A blush overtook his face and he marched determinedly to breakfast, firmly deciding not to think about pretty, blue-eyed Ravenclaws. 

He slid onto the bench beside Regulus and gave the older boy a nudge of his elbow and a small smile as he poured himself some sweet, sweet coffee and ignored his hair dripping down his back. He felt eyes on him, from every angle and it made him itchy. He looked up to see Alex giving him a small smile and a jaunty little hand wave. His lips twitched up against his will and he took a large gulp of his coffee to hide it. He glanced over to Lily who was humming over a croissant and a virtual bucket of tea, and as always, with Lily came the glares of the marauders who looked oh so tired and ragged. Oh wow running around as illegal animagi with a dangerous werewolf that they nearly made a murderer must really be tiring. Woe is them. Anger curdled his stomach and even the coffee lost its joy. He sat there boring holes into the ancient wood with his eyes as he wished it would just obey him and spontaneously combust.

When it had become a socially acceptable period of time, he slunk out of the hall and didn’t have to wait long before Lily slid her arm through his and leaned up to kiss his cheek.

“How are you, Sev, you’ve got a face like thunder?” She hesitated. “Is it-is it your mum?”

“Um sorta I s’ppose.” He shrugged and offered her the letter. She read it. And blinked. And read it again.

“Uhhh. Okay, that’s um, wow okay. You’re going to go meet with him though, aren’t you?”

Her question startled him and he stumbled over his robes.

“Honest Lily I hadn’t even thought about it. Should I?”

By the time they reached defense at the end of the day, Severus’ mind was a complete vortex of chaos to make even Loki proud, thoughts incoherent, emotional, and messy. Exactly the way they had been before he began to rigorously employ occlumency to rid himself of this nonsense. He slumped down into his seat as Gaunt began another fairly en point lecture-as always-but found he couldn’t quite concentrate. Lord knows the next letter he’ll get will somehow possibly be worse. The clock hands ticked on, as did his brain, with one hand writing notes and the other clenching and unclenching in his pocket as the marauders laughed behind him and threw the odd wad of paper at his head. When a large spit wad hit him hard enough to push his head with force, it caught Gaunt's attention as Severus blushed bright red in utter mortification. Why was he always going to owe something to this man?

“20 points from Gryffindor and detention for the four of you separately I should think.” He cut in silkily with much groans from the punishment’s recipients.

“Now who can tell me the cultural significance of a Crocotta? Ah yes Ms. Evans?” He nodded pleasantly in Lily’s direction, her hand amongst the first to raise.

“A Crocotta is a beast of India and Ethiopia; it imitates human speech so that it can call people with their loved one’s voices in order to kill them and, so it is said, to take their soul. It also replicates a person being sick, to attract dogs so that it can attack them.”

“But doesn’t that depend on whether or not you believe in a soul, sir?” Alice Nelson piped up and flushed as his Slytherin classmates muttered behind her, her new principles scandalous to their rigid beliefs.

“Indeed both Ms. Nelson and Ms. Evans, 5 points to Gryffindor. You would do well to take notes boys.” He drawled to Black and Potter, who when Severus turned around because he simply had to see, set twin glares on him and Lily. But Merlin help him if they gave Lily trouble, he would end them, expulsion be damned.

Gaunt regained control of the class with an effortlessness that Severus envied, and his thoughts turned back to the Gringotts notification. What would even do with the lordship? I mean money would be nice, but he had no interest in political power. He wanted change so desperately it was true but honestly that was not how politics worked in the ministry; it was too much schmoozing and allying and power-plays and Severus honestly couldn’t if he tried, not with no pureblood education and a reputation lower than a houself’s. Who would even know what to do a lordship not theirs anyway? As Severus’ eyes strayed up to the clock, they met the lazing form of Professor Marvolo Gaunt as he braced himself against his desk with strong arms that honestly made Severus salivate a little. When he was in the dark and half asleep where no one would see. The wheels in his mind turned faster than the ones at his fathers old factory and an invisible victory lightbulb lit over his head as the bell rang.

The class filed out as Severus shoved his books into his bag and gave Lily a nod to let her know to go ahead. He had his bag braced against his chest until a broad shoulder pushed by his and Severus fell to the ground with a grunt, his bag and books falling to the floor as hyena like laughter drummed into his head.

He flushed red, grasped his wand and was halfway out the door when a hand on his arm stopped him.

“Don’t, child, they’re not worth it. Would you like a spot of tea instead? You can throw the cup if you really want to.”

Severus let out the long breath and looked his professor in the eye. “Tea would be really nice sir but, I’m fine. I think your cups are safe for today.” They shared a smirk and as Severus collected his books Gaunt ordered tea and when they had taken a sip, Severus broached, “Well how is it going? All the, eh, voting stuff?”

“The Ministry is made of a corrupt morons and greedy idiots.” Gaunt announced, “The second it even resembles something somebody’s Grandmothers fish even associates with Dark or Grindelwald we’re booted out. The neutral votes are holding on by a thread and Dumbledore-the old ignorant bearded bastarded goat fucker-has been trying to make our votes worth less as if the dark side families aren’t just as old and respectful as others. You would swear our bills are trying to torch muggles at the stake-oh wait! They already did that to us. At least we’re civilized.”

Severus thought of all the papers detailing supposed death eater raids recently and cringed awkwardly.

“Um, well maybe this might help?” He slid over the crumpled piece of paper, feeling very much like that one Hufflepuff who was in charge of selling certain…contraband. Gaunt picked it up and scanned it before frowning.

He put it down and smoothed out the creases. “What exactly are you offering me here Severus?”

Severus floundered nervously. Maybe he’d made a colossal fucking mistake. Fuck. Fuck it all. Idiot.

“Well I just, I mean that, I don’t know how to politics so maybe Lucius could em, vote for me, like for you and it might help?” His voice was so small, he may have been a mouse and as he shrank back in his seat, he let his hair swing over his face.

“Ah my little snake, that is very generous of you. Are certain you would want such a thing? To not control your own votes?”

Severus shook his head. “No sir, the politics make me kind of…”

“Uncomfortable?” Gaunt suggested and Severus nodded eagerly before gulping his tea.

“Yes exactly and I’d like to help this way, and do something good with the title yet still have my mums name you know.”

“Of course. I do understand.” The older mans smile was gentle as he offered Severus a biscuit than patted his hand twice.   
“You do know you need to sign over the proxy in person, though not with Lucius but a guardian seeing as you’re a minor.” Gaunt peered down at him. “Do you know exactly what this means?”

“Um…no sir?”

“Field Trip! Excellent!”

“Uh, that’d be great sir but I’m never gonna get Dumbledore's permission.” Severus muttered bitterly the name feeling like rotten tabasco on his tongue.

Gaunt waved a hand. “Pish posh you don’t need it. Head of house privileges.” He pointed two thumbs at his chest and grinned, making Severus giggle into his tea as hope floated about in his sternum.

“Besides,” here the dark lord shrugged, “What he doesn’t know won’t kill him and if it does all the better for me.” Severus outright snorted into the cup and curled his legs up on the chair as he was then interrogated about his potions progress. Why how many times a week he missed dinner had what to do with it, he wasn’t sure, but the fussing left the funny feeling in his sternum travelling to his stomach as he munched on biscuits and let Gaunt refill his tea.

The weather the next day was startlingly sunny and found Severus walking out of the entrance hall with Gaunt an imposing figure by his side.

“And you’re sure-”

“Yes, a memo has been delivered to each of your teachers, so they won’t dock you marks. If they do, they’ll have me to deal with.”

This threat was certainly ominous, and Severus waited in silence as Gaunt raised his wand to summon a thestral-thanks Pandora-pulled carriage.

“And besides they’re glad to have you take the day off. When you showed up to classes and Minerva found she wasn’t allowed to dismiss you she was apocalyptic with rage. I thought she was going to actually kill him. It was hilarious. She raged and raged. Insulted him in Scottish too. I wonder if she did go through with her threat to stab him with her fork. She was holding it awful funny at dinner.”

Severus couldn’t help but laugh. “She’s pretty scary alright.”

Gaunt shudder as they settled in and felt the carriage drive off, where they could apparate to Diagon. “She is, that. Jesus even I wouldn’t cross Minnie.”

“Ah the dark lords weakness.” Severus nodded sagely. “Old Scottish Cat ladies.”

“Goddamn right they are.” Gaunt bobbed his head almost sharply and Severus cracked up, his stomach sore when the tears finally dried from his eyes.

He gathered his satchel close to him when they both exited the carriage, worriedly checking for the letter and eying the small bag of galleons he always kept with him.

He looked up to see Gaunt offering him his arm silently, his face impassive. “Whenever you’re ready.”

Severus swallowed, glad he wasn’t impatient or had tried to just grab Severus because that certainly wouldn’t have gone well. It was with trembling sweaty hands that he grabbed the professor’s arm to let the world invert spectacularly, splurging all the colours until Diagon Alley took shape before his blinded eyes.

He took a few deep breaths as Gringotts loomed above them, a large white marble temple of withholding doom.

The guarding goblins let them in with no trouble though both of them cast sideways glares at Gaunt who waved back jauntily and gently, hand in the boy’s line of sight, placed a hand on his shoulder to propel him to the right counter.

As they passed counter after counter and pureblood after pureblood Severus felt fear grow in his stomach, like a small pip into a tree with great bloody big branches.

They reached the little teller table that was emblazed “Rornuk” and Gaunt cleared his throat as Severus felt his own constrict and choke. Lords be damned he couldn’t do this, hecouldnt this was a terrible idea he needed to go to leave. His breath wasn’t coming at all and his brain had nearly shut down completely before Gaunt was there, one hand on his back and mouth by his ear.

“You can do this my boy. I have you I promise. They wrote to you and besides, you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.” This both calmed him and got the tellers attention as the squat goblin rolled his dark beady eyes and said

“Back again, Lord Slytherin-Gaunt? Going to cause me more mayhem this time eh?”

“Oh of course not Rornuk, me no, never!” Gaunt tone was conspiring, and Severus felt the blood return to his fingers and his brain when the goblin tutted.

“Then do remind me, perilous wizard, why you are here and terrifying all my staff?”

“I’m escorting young Severus here. You sent him a letter about the Prince Lordship I believe.”

Gaunt's tone was more familiar now, stiff and formal as his own back straightened.

The goblin muttered something that sounded like a prayer of “Oh thank Gornag.” Before clearing his throat and hopping down from his place.

“Excellent, excellent well you just follow me lad and we’ll get this sorted.”

“Thank you.” Severus said quietly, his mouth finally in touch with his brain once more.

It only took them a minute to reach an office where they were impatiently ushered into seats; as Severus began to wonder why the goblin was rushing, there was slam that made him jump as stacks of paper were dumped in front of him.

“Disastrous,” Rornuk cried, his legs pacing back and forth as he threw his hands up the air, his monocle slipping off.

“The accounts are simply a mess so if you wish to take the lordship-”

“What if I don’t want to? Take the lordship that is.”

“That’s your decision.” Gaunt said simply, before the scandalized goblin could explode.

“However, if I may say so, voting and politics aside, it is your legacy and, in some ways, your family. I wouldn’t be so quick to throw that away. Besides I heard they’ve got secret potions recipes in the vault.”

Severus swallowed nervously. “It was my mums name but-they abandoned her and they didn’t help us!”

Rornuk cleared his throat, looking more awkward than a talk show audience member. “That is not quite true, young Prince, the accounts show otherwise. After the disownment, your grandfather tried multiple times to send your mother money and each time it was delivered back to us untouched. He was distraught, I believe, when she named you for him and wouldn’t let him see you.”

Severus only noticed there were tears on his cheeks when he sniffed and dislodged the steady stream. His hand found the ring Regulus had gifted him and he rubbed it absently, like he did everyday now. Only this time his indecision and turmoil fueled something as he felt his mother’s arms around his, her hand stroking his hair and her approving words she gifted him every summer, telling him he did and always would do her proud. His mouth went dry and he looked up, decision made with his mother behind him.

“I think I’d like that lordship now.”

Rornuk rubbed his nobbled fingers together and grinned with sharp black teeth.

“Very very good, young lord. If you’ll sign here for me, a wee drop of your blood and we’ll be all finished.”

He whipped a piece of paper from the towering stacks and glanced at it, humming thoughtfully.

“You can officially take the lordship after your O.W.Ls only however, though that really is only a formality aside from the Wizengamont business. Provided you receive at least 4 O.W.Ls the lordship will be yours automatically, including all the nasty business of fixing all this I’m afraid.”

He didn’t sound particularly sorry and Severus bared his teeth in a grin. “I don’t mind a challenge.” He read the slew of legal jargon and allowed only one drop of blood to fall beside his name on the dotted line.

“You should take the Prince name if you wish to.”

“Can I change it?” Severus asked suddenly, feeling like his own name was sullying him.

“Of course.” Gaunt murmured, sending him a small approving smile.

Severus Septimius Prince walked out of Gringotts nearly an hour later, new identity, Gringotts card and several Potions journals tucked under his elbow and a massive smile on his face.

Gaunt placed a hand on the small of his back, smiling almost…proudly and saying “Back straight Heir Prince. Look the world in eye and make them afraid to stare back.”

“Yessir. Are we going back now?” He frowned at the thought, excitement still bubbled in his stomach and the thoughts of going back to the oppressive environment that was Hogwarts made him feel sick.

“Of course not! And waste a day?! Not at all. Come, come, much to be done.”

Following the dark lord and professor down a winding Diagon street ended up an incredibly strange experience for Severus who found himself standing with his legs and arms open as a measuring tape and pins whizzed around him with alarming accuracy.

“Sir this really isn’t-, professor gaunt you really don’t have to-”

Gaunt just smirked as he handed over his own card to pay for the mountains of protective potions gear and the whole new wardrobe he had just piled on Severus, who had sheepishly admit he’d never used any of the gear he should have because who cared if he got hurt whilst experimenting and it was expensive. He had thought he would treasure Gaunt's horrified look for eternity but now he knew otherwise, and Gaunt’s smirk told him all this unnecessary measuring was revenge for sure.

He thought he was possibly more tired than the poor seamstress at the end and knew his face would forever be red now that his defense professor had ordered him underwear. (‘Yes hello, one quick exit to Hell via the floor crack please?’)

“But I still have money leftover from what you gave me and I’ll have vault money and stuff if I really need it and-”

“Hush child and let me buy you things, I demand it. Or I’ll start taking points.”

“You can’t do that!” Severus was outraged.

“That I can laddie. And anyway, that money was for leisure things, sweets and ice-cream, that sort of frivolous nonsense kids these days spend their money on.”

“Ohh.” Severus stopped dead in the street and looked up at the man in awe. He swallowed twice because the first time didn’t seem to work. “Thanks Pr’fessor.”

“Anytime.” He put his hand on Severus’ shoulder, who definitely didn’t mind one bit and heard his own stomach rumble as Gaunt steered him into a restaurant that would cost him his fathers house and his tutoring money to eat at. He smoothed down the creases in his new robes nervously. He didn’t belong in places like this. He’d never even tried half the damn foods here. When he tried to tell Gaunt this much he only got a raised eyebrow in return.

“All the more reason to try now no?”

No. Definitely no and ahhh Merlindamnit the man was already in and he had half of Severus’ bags, at his own insistence. Flitwick was his new favorite professor for sure now. He refrained from stomping into the booth with Gaunt and blanched at the five variations of cutlery on the table. Severus sent Gaunt a glare.

“You cannot possibly be serious?”

“What, you have something against paella? You’re not allergic are you?”

“I don’t even know what-urgh look I just really don’t belong here ok, I feel like I’m gonna get thrown out for attempted robbery!”

Gaunt's eyes held the same knowing almost sad look they had when Severus had asked him if it would be possible to pick up a pair of dragonhide gloves please if it wasn’t too much trouble and secondhand would be fine obviously because he was being really careful with the money honest. “That happened before has it?”

Unbidden, memories of going places with Lily and her family rose in his mind as humiliation stuck in his throat. He was saved from answering by the timing of a cheerful waitress who must have been new because she was actually happy to be there and pointed blindly at the first thing on the menu without meat in it, cringing at the price.

“You’ve done very well today.” Gaunt sipped his water as Severus’ own dribbled down his chin as he spluttered.

“Wha-but I haven’t done anything!”

“You’ve had your opinion about your mother’s family, your finances and your very name changed. Change is difficult and you’re bullheaded enough to fight Gryffindors at every chance, so you’ve surprised me and I’m…proud of you.”

The words were slow like they were as unfamiliar to Gaunt as they were to Severus as the boy blinked and stared at the man like a gormless ape.

“Th-thanks.” Their meals were delivered with a flourish and Severus would deny it forever, but he had a terrifically pleased smile on his face as he flicked the leaves off his pasta.

He even tried Gaunt's so called paella with a curious mind and then proceeded to challenge himself to steal every prawn off the man’s plate without his notice. And if they got into a fierce fork battle over the last prawn, well, no-one had to know.

The sky was well dark by the time they left, stars popping up sleepily one by one to make themselves known, much like the student body on a Sunday morning. Gaunt had an arm on his shoulder, wrapped all the way around and Severus felt his heart might burst. Gonna need Madam Pomphrey for that. He felt guilty having taken the man’s time and money and yet as it always did, the bookshop called to him like a siren, his head turning towards the sale items in the window automatically. Their course was changed despite his protests and rambled apologies and it wasn’t until a cool hand on the back of his neck made him part his show curtain of hair did he look up.

“I’m sorry sir, we don’t need to. Imean you’ve spent so much time and money and I really wouldn’t wanna make you-”

“Unless there is a way for you to have mastered the Imperius without my notice, I suggest you stop right there. There is no way you have made me do anything today, little snake and the day you can do that is the day you can slay the Jabberwocky. Has it occurred to you that perhaps the likes of myself and Ms. Evans and her…entourage do so because we enjoy spending time with you?”

Seeing he’d completely stunned the unresponsive boy, Marvolo sighed and gave him a gentle shove towards the depth of Heaven. “Go on, seeing as I’ve broken your mind, go repair it with some good ol’ knowledge cartridges.”

Severus just walked away obediently, his very core shook, only emerging from his stupor to glean the title “Heroes of the Night Sky: The Greek Myths Behind the Constellations.”

He picked it up with a large grin and tucked it under his elbow, balancing it on his satchel before browsing the potions section, thumbing the journals and looking like a foodie at a buffet.

Choices made, he stepped up to where Gaunt was flirting with both cashiers simultaneously, a married couple who indulged his cheek with raised eyebrows and amused grins.

“That’s enough, before you traumatize your poor student Marvolo!” The wife admonished him sternly, wagging a finger at Gaunt, who bowed with a flourish, conjuring a rose and producing it from behind his back.

“Do forgive me, my lady.” She ignored his most charming smile and tucked the rose behind her husband’s ear as Severus sighed bemusedly.

“Interesting choice,” Gaunt pointed to the astronomy title as he hopped up on the counter, towering over Severus, even sitting slouched. Severus couldn’t help but grin at him dazily. “I know someone who’ll love it.”

“Ahhh.” Gaunt sounded knowing and Severus peered at him suspiciously. “A lovely courting gift for Ms. Evans.”

Severus wrinkled his nose and reared back. “What, ew, no its for Lily. And I’m not courting him, we only just met, Oh Merlin.”

“Not yet, I know that look Severus dear.” When the old couple nodded together in sync, Severus groaned in a way every teenager is intimately familiar with and paid before tactically retreating from the store.(I.e. Fleeing the premises with extreme prejudice.)

He was waiting outside for around 5 minutes and was so relieved Gaunt probably hadn’t had time to have an orgy and further traumatize him.

“Not at all. Only have one organized for next month.” Gaunt replied to his out loud thought as he guided them back to the apparition zone whilst Diagon Alley lit up with nightlife. Severus made sure to thank the man profusely before he took his bags and fled to his blissfully empty dorm in delight.

He emptied his bag with a giddy smile and placed everything in his cabinet and drawers carefully. He set aside his book bag to open them up later. Severus froze as he felt extra weight in it and cast a billion detection spells before he stepped up to it and tipped out the contents. Aside from his own 3 books and his two gifts there were other titles staring up at him brazenly.

“101 Charms for a Budding Bachelor.”, “The Ways of Life for a Young Wizard.” “Courting Manual For Life”, made him blush red to his neck, whilst “Potente Potions-The Prince Family.” made his eyes well up without his permission again. How had the man even, never mind: Dark Lordly powers probably.

Severus grinned to himself and collapsed onto his pillows as his dormmates flooded back in, full of grumbles and complaints. He pulled his curtains and curled up to revel in the craziness of the day. As he was pulled into the depths of sleep, he imagined, somewhere distantly, that it was sort of what a father and son day out was supposed to be like. He yawned one more time and was lost to world as the owls hooted and the houselves began their work.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, hope you enjoy the chapter, feedback wanted 😉. Quick warning for the few homophobic slurs at the very end and far more to come next chapter ‘cause you know the marauders are just lovely.

Chapter 9

“Hey, hey, Severus! Wait up.”   
He paused in his murder-strut and turned around to wait for the floppy haired Ravenclaw who was chasing after him with a bright grin.   
“Well how’s my resident sarcasm spit-meter today?”  
“I got you something.” Severus blurted, hand foraging in the bottom of his rucksack. He handed over the book, his movements stilted, and awkward as pure joy spread across Alex’s face.   
“Oh man, I’ve been looking for this forever! Where did you even find it? No, you know what never mind, thanks a bunch, Sev really I mean it.” Alex gave him a big grin even as Severus considered he didn’t mind the butchering of his name.   
“You’re welcome.” He muttered, letting his hair fall down around his cheeks and hating how greasy it felt brushing his cheekbones.   
As a silence fell Alex tilted his head down to meet Severus’ eyes under the protective curtain of hair. “Sooooo eh whaddaya doing with yourself this fine Saturday?”  
“Just studyin’ really.” He shrugged, his eyes beginning to shine as they met the other boys face. Taking a leap of faith he asked “D’you wanna come? To the library with me and Lily?”

“Yeah. Yeah I’d really love that. A visit to my second home.” Both boys chuckled at the cliché as they walked. Alex stretched his arms out, one ending up casually flung over Severus’ shoulders. The warmth made him smile and he sidled closer to the heat of Alex’s side. 

The quiet lull of the library atmosphere was broken by Lily’s jubilant shout as she waved at him excitedly from their usual table. “Hey, it’s uh Evans right? We share Arithmancy?” 

“Sure but you can call me Lily.” The almost childish grin Alex responded with made Severus’ heart pitter-patter and he smiled fondly as they took their seats and pulled out parchment lists of homework, seemingly as endless as the Amazon, as Alex so grousingly put it. As scribbling sounds filled their ears and Severus mused on the benefits of bicorn horn vs. mandrake leaf he noticed the persistent kicking of his ankle. He looked up to see Lily giving him eyes and tilting her head not so subtly towards their newest addition who was muttering frantically to himself as he compared two books side by side. Alex’s hair was standing straight up on his head as he ran his hands through it and scowled down at the mess of words in front of him. 

“Absolutely unacceptable.” He announced, rising from the table with his robe left behind. “A reference book is required. I shall be back.” He gave Severus a wink and strode away in long quick strides that emphasized his long legs and the way his slacks clung to his thighs just so. Not that Severus was staring. Because he wasn’t. Totally. 

“Severus. Severus. What the fuck?! I require a hot-guy warning in advance please! Holy hot damn, when’s your first date?”  
“What, no Lily, I just- we met at the Astronomy tower a while ago and we talked and we just, you know bonded.”   
“And the fact that he’s cute as fuck has nothing to do with this bonding business hm?” Lily wriggled her eyebrows at him and he felt his cheeks go red.   
“Christ Lily.” Severus hissed, leaning over the oval table to try glare her into submission while she sputtered at him like he was a swiping evil bunny. Cute, murderous, and fluffy.  
“I don’t even know if he’s gay, hell I don’t even know if I’m gay so can you just leave it please, like back off?!” She laughed and tossed her red tresses over her shoulder.   
“Sure honey. Whatever you say. Whateeever you say.”

“Whose saying what now?” Alex asked, eyes roaming a tomb larger than his head as he heaved it onto the table.  
“Complimenting Severus’ taste in gift giving.” Lily said smoothly. Alex’s face lit up in response.   
“Oh well sure, this is a start to a mighty good trend. Isn’t it brilliant? Look, look see the author’s illustrations!” As they both poured over the golden lined illustrations Severus felt pride well up inside of him when Alex through him a brilliant smile over his shoulder. 

It was the same smile that motivated him later in his dorm as he flipped through the bachelor book with a determined gaze. He could not expect a level of respect and, dare he say it, love if he could not have that in himself. And a decent bit of self-care in the form of a makeover to match his new wardrobe couldn’t possibly be a bad place to start. A new mission in mind he closed the book with a snap and marched right down to the common room to the one person he knew could help him.  
“Ms. Carrow may I have a moment of your time?” He inclined his head to the blonde amongst the girl’s court of Slytherin and withstood her haughty, searching gaze before she stood.  
“Sure Prince, what can I do ya for?” Layla Carrow flashed him a smile that most boys would die for but Severus was not most boys and only returned her smirk with one of his own.  
“I heard you specialize in the remodeling of certain individuals? For the right price of course.”   
“For the right price.” she agreed with her teeth bared. “What exactly did you have in mind dollface?”  
“I want you to fix my hair.” He said bluntly, as she led him to the girl’s dorms. The Seventh years boys scowled after them in disgust, though none of them dared move, remembering the wrath of a certain professor. 

“Oh certainly darlin’ I been waiting to get my hands on that damn mop since you trailed in here not 80 pounds soaking wet. So tell me,” She continued as he pushed him into a chair. “What brought on this sudden change, hm? There a fella on the scene?”   
“What, no I just-I read about some spells in this book and its best if someone else does it.”   
“Ahh. A book.” her teasing made him blush and she only laughed as he brought out the book from inside his robes.   
“This book. I’m well familiar with it’s contents, so don’t you worry we’ll have you sorted for your fella and yourself in a jiffy.”   
As Layla forcibly washed his hair over the edge of the bath, she gave him reams of some of the best-and most embarrassing-relationship advice he’d ever heard. It made him wonder why Hogwarts was so backwards, with not a shred of decent sex-ed. He tuned back in as she cast spells from the new book, propped open on his lap. 

“Bare you mind me, honey, if you’re pressured to change how you look for this fella, he ain’t no good you hearing me.”   
“I know.” Severus shrugged best he could with a vice grip on his hair. “It’s just for me, you know cause I’m not sure that being in a -in a r-relationship-”he stuttered over the word “that makes you feel good, is gonna be worthwhile if you don’t, you know…”  
“Feel good about yourself first.” She finished. “Yeah course, good sound logic kiddo. And hey it doesn’t do any harm to spruce yourself up a bit. You look good you feel good. Pureblood 101.” Her hands softened in his hair, rubbing instead of harsh pulling in slicing snips. “And, for what’s it’s worth, I’m sorry about your mum.”   
His defensive snap died on the tip of his tongue as he recalled the Carrow matriarch’s death a few years ago. “Thanks.” Severus whispered, swallowing the lump in his throat. They said no more but floated around each other in a companionable silence as she poked, prodded and pulled at his hair until she finally announced him free. 

“Taadaaa my darlin, you’re all done. Now turn around and tell me what you think.” Layla spun him around to the mirror and clapped her hands in delight as he gaped at his reflection.   
“Wow. Oh Layla. Laya, thank you.”   
“I’ve got something else for you too.” He looked up at her in shock whilst she shrugged off his thanks and shoved a large cylindrical bottle into his chest.   
“Shampoo?” He tried to reign back his anger, remind himself that this wasn’t the marauders, it wasn’t a gag gift or a mockery.   
“Well sure sugar. Got it as a gift at Slugclub buts he’s such a smarmy, snubbing bastard he doesn’t even realise I don’t take potions anymore and have no need for any hair protective nonsense. It’s one of those real expensive ones, refills itself.” He scanned the bottle as she nattered on, running her gel coated fingers through his hair. 

Severus could only stare in amazement at the mirror again, for once not feeling the disgust that normally came with looking at his reflection. And he wasn’t the only one feeling this new look as the squeals of his Gryffindor girl gang deafened him as they mobbed him in the corridor the following morning.  
“Oh I love it.” There were far too many hands in his hair to be sanitary, but he found he didn’t mind as he bent down to let all four and a half feet of Alice pet his new style, shortened and cleaner than it had ever been.   
“So tell us, whose the lucky gal? Or fella eh?”   
“I’m surprised you don’t know.” Severus teased Mary, whose gossip knowledge rivalled that of Bellatrix Black at her height of power.   
“Oh pish posh you’re more private than Gringotts but I’ll get something out of you someday, Severus Prince don’t you worry.”  
“Ooh I’m shaking in my boots.”   
“The quality of that dragonhide? Please, love, I doubt it.”

Lily interrupted their newfound banter with a long-suffering sigh even as she rolled her eyes at the pair fondly. “Can we please go to breakfast now? You guys know it’s the last day of the month.” Everyone went quiet as no one could deny Lily her futile hope.   
The last day of each month was when all the muggle mail not sent by owls came through. Bank statements, government notices, that sort of thing. And each month, without fail, Lily sat at the dinner table until the last owl left, hoping beyond hope that this time her sister would reply. Severus had tried, each of the girls had tried, in turn to tell her not to. She only got closed off and brusque and upset no matter how they phrased their well-meaning advice. 

“Sure Lils, lets go. I hope they have treacle tart this time.” Severus placed a hand on her shoulder softly, as she leaned up to kiss his cheek before they parted ways. They said their goodbyes and he got his hair ruffled by each and every one of them as they passed by. He was soon left alone to slip into his bench on the Slytherin table amongst the glares at his new look and the age-old mutterings of ‘faggot’ and ‘queer’ that had followed him his whole Hogwarts career as though it was an insult. He cheerfully helped himself to a second serving of stroganoff, plucking out the pieces of beef with a wrinkle of his nose as owls flooded the hall for the muggleborns. The noticeable absence of owls for the Slytherin table was a stark contrast to the flood of squawking everywhere else and it made it all the more ominous when a tawny owl kept bobbing doggedly towards the green and silver table. 

Severus closed his eyes and dropped the spoon as he murmured “Fuck.” The icy stares of the whole table intensified when the paper envelope dropped into his lap. He stepped away to open it, his left-behind dinner cooling quick as a Spaniard in Russia. He prayed it wasn’t Petunia, though why Lily’s bitch sister would be writing him escaped reason, but he had cursed himself after his last letter, betting it would be worse. Nice hammer over the head there, irony. 

********************************************************************************************************************************************************************  
Dear Mr. Snape  
This is a final warning to you that the property in your name 19 Spinners End, Cokeworth, England, will be released into the possession of a Tobias Snape upon his parole from Cokeworth Penitentiary.   
It has come to the court’s attention that as a minor with no other relatives on record, you are not permitted by her Majesty’s government to own property as you are still underage.   
The court under Judge Bartholomew Schuyler has ruled that your custody be given to the aforementioned property owner until your coming of age on 9/01/1978.   
Many thanks for your co-operation.   
Martine Driscoll  
Department of Family and Housing   
**********************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Nonononononono. Nausea swirled in his stomach as tears marred the cheap government ink. He couldn’t do it. He couldn’t live in that house with that man. He couldn’t, and oh Merlin, he couldn’t breathe couldn’tbreathe. Severus felt his body react and let himself sprint down corridor after corridor, uncaring about his lack of oxygen until he slammed into a tree and collapsed against it in a heap. Sobs crumpled his body as his trembling fingers crumbled the stiff paper. He was so distraught he could hear nothing but his own gasping breath and was thusly unprepared to face the looming figures leaning over him.  
“Well, hey there Snivelly. Long time no see that ugly mug of yours, I was finally starting to sleep nightmare free, but I’m afraid you won’t be. Not for a long time.” Sirius Black face was nothing short of maliciously cruel as he knocked Lupins hesitant from his shoulder and brandished his wand.


	10. Chapter Ten

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A quick previously: ******He couldn’t live in that house with that man. He couldn’t, and oh Merlin, he couldn’t breathe couldn’tbreathe. Severus felt his body react and let himself sprint down corridor after corridor, uncaring about his lack of oxygen until he slammed into a tree and collapsed against it in a heap. Sobs crumpled his body as his trembling fingers crumbled the stiff paper. He was so distraught he could hear nothing but his own gasping breath and was thusly unprepared to face the looming figures leaning over him.
> 
> “Well, hey there Snivelly. Long time no see that ugly mug of yours, I was finally starting to sleep nightmare free, but I’m afraid you won’t be. Not for a long time.” Sirius Black face was nothing short of maliciously cruel as he knocked Lupins hesitant hand from his shoulder and brandished his wand. *****

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys, welcome to chapter ten with a word of warning. Sexual assault and victim shaming and homophobic language ahead so proceed with caution lovelies and look after yourselves. Also let me know if you liked the chp.!

Chapter 10.

“Fuck you, Black you just can’t shut up for five fucking minutes can you?”

Severus snapped, flinging the wand away from his face and using the distraction to shove the letter securely into his bag’s pocket. He didn’t get a chance to do much else as Potter disarmed and another jeering spell from his crony had Severus floating upside down.

“Let me down, Black you bastard.” Severus yelled, snatching helplessly at his wand lost on the ground. The blood rushing to his head made him dizzy and his nausea only intensified when Black bobbed his wand to shake Severus’ body up and down like a piñata.

“Tut, tut such language. Here let me wash out that mouth for you. Scourigify!”

Bitter bleach filled his mouth, making him gag and choke as he tried to rid his mouth of the foul substance. Humiliation filled him as they shrieked with laughter at Potters latest success. Lupin shuffled uncomfortably, only to be pushed away by the raucous pair. By now their antics had gathered a crowd and, spurred on by the admiration and laughter, Black stepped forward, embolden by Pettigrews jeers-“Yeah you tell him Padfoot.” And yelled to the crowd

“Who wants to see me take off Snivellys underwear?”

Utter panic clammed his throat and he struggled futilely against the invisible bonds. “You motherfucker, don’t you dare!”

Black was nose to nose with him now, a weird dark look in his eyes that made Severus’ stomach clench for a reason other than the soap. Hidden by his own body, Black reached a hand forward.

“Don’t see why you’re objectin’ heh? Heard fags like you take it from the purebloods all the time. Really, you should count yourself lucky. Reckon Lilyflower is into the same shit?” His hand was over Severus’ trousers and he was touching and seriously following through despite Severus’ best attempts to buck away wildly.

“Leave him alone Potter! You let him down right now or so help me I’ll hex you blinder than you are!”

Lily. That was Lily. Panic overtook the pride over accepting her help because if Black was the company Potter kept, combined with hungry almost lustful gaze in the rats eyes than he wanted her nowhere near that scumbag.

“Lily, go- you have to go.” He choked on a mouthful of soap, unminding of how, now, Black had managed to pull his trousers down by hand and was nearly about to graduate to full on groping as Severus’ brain short-circuited. This wasn’t happening this couldn’t be happening, not to him.

There was the sounds of a duel, but Severus could see nothing but the faces of his tormentors until their glee morphed into expressions of pain.

“Get your hands off him, you monster!” With Lily’s punch to his face, Blacks spell faltered, and Severus nearly plummeted onto his neck. The ground swirled below him, an imminent threat that set off alarms in his numb body though he was swept up before his neck could crunch at a fatal angle. Severus felt his feet hit the ground and swayed as he stared up at Lily, baring a mark on her pale cheek, a twig and mud caked leaves in her hair.

She opened her mouth to undoubtedly spew words of comfort but someone else got there first.

“What is the meaning of this?!” Professor Gaunt was quick to follow a panting Cynthia Summers to the scene and Severus’ numb mortification only increased as he struggled to pull up his trousers, his hands trembling uncontrollably.

When Gaunt got no answer to his question, as he waited no more than seconds to survey the scene, his eyes narrowed and Severus wondered if he was the only one who could see it. The Professor was gone, replaced with the sheer homicidal rage of a Dark Lord.

“The Headmasters office, the lot of you. Now!” He dragged the group of ragtag teens inside, even enervating an unconscious Potter to do it and ignoring Blacks whimpers of his sore side where Lily had apparently kicked him.

Lily stood defensively in front of him as Gaunt whipped his wand and made the Marauders go first. The trip to Dumbledore's office had never seemed so long and yet so brief. Each footstep felt like one in quicksand. Anger made him warm but horror zapped the energy from him and now he felt almost feverish. They stepped inside the warmth of the entrance hall and Gaunt pointed his wand at the boy gang ensuring all their complaints were silenced.

“Ms. Evans if you would be so kind to fetch your head of house and meet us at the headmasters office. If you are not too injured to do so?”

Lily’s grin towards the marauders was nothing short of mercilessly vicious. “Oh no sir, not at all.” But then she paused and reached down to squeeze Severus’ hand, becoming unwilling to leave him. Gaunt paused and his mouth moved up in the corners as he muttered to them out of the marauder’s earshot

“Don’t worry dear, they won’t so much as look at him when I’m through with them.” This did seem to placate Lily, who squeezed his hand once more and fled down the corridor with frightening speed.

Stepping into the gargoyle-guarded office felt a lot like surrendering his soul to Hell and Severus wasn’t quite sure he could make his feet move until Gaunt's steadying pat on his shoulder told him otherwise. The few deep breaths he took only barely steadied him and as such he heard Gaunt's words wash over him, tuning back in just in time to hear Dumbledore's response.

“Albus you cannot possibly-”

“Oh nonsense, what’s a little joke between boys.” Dumbledore's casual wave of the hand made his last dredge of hope shudder away like his spine as Severus sank down by the wall and swallowed again, his tongue still feeling blistered and burnt from over-exposure to the bleach. The marauders had swaggered to the few seats in front of Dumbledore's desk, Potter and Black now lounging back in them like kings on thrones as the other two accepted the conjured chairs.

“It-it-it wasn’t-” Severus’ voice failed him, his words coming out as a strangled croak as he felt more tears gather at his eyes.

“I rather happen to agree with Mr. Sn-Prince, Albus, for Merlin’s sake whats gouin on?”

McGonagall stood steadfast in the doorway, in all her Scottish glory. Strands of wispy greying hair escaped their prison of a bun as she marched forward and glared at the Headmaster.

“If what Ms. Evans tells me happened to Mr. Prince did in fact happen, of which I have very little doubt, so help me I will strangle you with your beard! Hasn’t this gone on long enough? And, in fact, I doubt had Marvolo not been so shrewd and sent Ms. Evans you never would have even informed of this would you? Take your damn job seriously Albus!”

“Very well Minerva.” The grandfatherly tone didn’t soothe the brusque woman who merely sniffed at him, realizing the seating situation with a scan of cat-like eyes. Dumbledore opened his mouth to speak, his cold eyes now piercing into Severus, all fondness gone. McGonagall held up a finger to halt him, reefed Pettigrew out of his chair and quelled his moaning with a harsh

“Oh enough Pettigrew you are certainly not the one in shock now be silent!”

She beckoned a hand to Severus, who stepped up to her warily. “M-Ma’am?”

“Sit down, Mr. Prince, there you go lad nice and easy.” When the chair was a suitable distance away from the marauders he sank into it, the support and solidness grounding him like nothing else. McGonagall gestured for Dumbledore to continue and set herself into listen with her arms folded.

“This is a very serious accusation you’ve levelled on your classmates Mr. Snape. Even if you’re telling the truth, I’ve yet to hear it from your own lips my boy. You might want to reconsider, such a thing could ruin poor Sirius’ future career.”

Colour drained from Severus’ face as the man got up to face his own trinkets behind his desk as he continued “But given the seriousness of the allegation I’m afraid I will take 50 points from Gryffindor and 10 from Slytherin-”

“POINTS? YOU’RE TAKING POINTS?!” The unholy shriek came from the doorway, interrupting Professors Gaunt's grab for his wand.

Widow Augusta Longbottom stood with the entire school board and an irate Lily (whose voice must surely hurt after her shriek) behind her and levelled a nasty stare at Dumbledore's shocked face.

“What is the meaning of this Dumbledore, some of us have things to do.” Lucius drawled, his blond hair a beacon of attention in the prim band of Lords and Ladies.

“Hardly a situation for the whole school board of governors I should thi-”

“Assault.” Gaunt said bluntly. This caught all their attention and they shuffled into the already tight office space. Severus felt the air become almost unbearably hot, adding to his misery and will to just go and curl up and cry somewhere. His thoughts drifted to Alex and how exactly cuddle-suited his arms were and now was not the place for such a daydream, so he looked back up to see a wizened old man already shorter than him peering at him suspiciously.

“So s’ppose this ones the culprit then eh?” Severus flinched, realizing his robes and subsequently his house crest was on display, and wished he had his hair to hid his face.

“Actually.” Gaunt's voice could have shredded titanium “he is the victim of a very very serious crime so if you wouldn’t mind giving young Heir Prince here, some space, Doge.”

The man backed off and Severus relieved his lungs of the unbearable pressure. He tried his hardest not to sob as Gaunt knelt down to face him. “Would you rather I explain, Severus, would that be easier?” Severus could scarcely nod fast enough and Gaunt patted his knee.

“That’s fine lad, you just stop me or add in whatever you want at any time hm?” He didn’t nod to this, didn’t have the strength to even look up.

“To the best of my understanding, Mr. Prince was cornered outside by the boys to your left.” Gaunt began, standing with is robes sweeping, fully in lecture mode now. “Where they proceeded to disarm and taunt him. I am then correct in saying they used one of the boys own spells to turn him upside down and use Scourigfy on his mouth.” This brought hisses amongst the listening crowd as Severus was simultaneously mortified to have it recalled and know what happened next and yet was completely awed by the fact that, this time, now, eventually, someone was on his side. Someone was defending him and that meant more than he could ever repay in kind. He looked up with watering eyes as Gaunt’s voice dropped to a vicious snarl.

“As if this wasn’t enough Messers. Black and Pettigrew decided it was perfectly acceptable to sexually assault another student, willfully touch him without his consent to further humiliation no doubt.”

Here Blacks rebuttal was louder than that of his comrades as it drew the whole rooms attention.

“Oh for fucks sake what does it matter? Everyone knows the damn fag takes it from all the Slytherin upper years anyway.” His statement met utter silence from every single person, even his friends, and Severus felt rage bubble to homicidal proportions. He leapt from his seat and flung himself at the boy. “That’s not fucking true, you lying tosser, and even it was I don’t give a fuck, if you ever so much as look at Lily I swear to God I’ll rip off your fucking balls.” Severus vengeful howls were stopped as Gaunt's arms wrapped around his waist and tugged both of them to the floor.

“Shshshsh child it’s ok now, we believe you Severus, no-one is doubting your story ok?”

“Certainly not I should hope.” This voice was new and Severus looked up from his slump on the floor to see the most intimidating man accompany a bespectacled Auror as they blocked the doorway.

“Ah Lord Black, Lord Potter.” Dumbledore sounded pleased and Severus could have died right there, never-mindng Lily’s sudden bone crushing hug as she sobbed into his shoulder. Severus raised a hand to cup the back of Lilys head, like Mrs. Evans always did when her youngest was upset. He did hate to hear her cry and as such didn’t hear the own shushing motions that came out of his mouth, unaware of the stares of the board.

“This calls for actual consequences, Albus.” McGonagall said firmly. “Suspension or expulsion at least.”

Nonononono please.

“Please don’t expel me Professor I’ll do any amount of detentions I promise.” He pleaded with her, mind running with statistics and probabilities of future Potions Masters checking for detentions vs expulsion.

She looked so shocked, Severus thought she’d collapse for sure. “Goodness no, Mr. Prince, certainly not for you. Even such language is understandable under the circumstances. Though our oh so biased Headmaster might disagree.”

“I happen to agree with the good professor, Albus.”

It was Auror Potter who spoke, glaring angry eyes never leaving his son as he interrupted the Headmasters pitiful beginning argument with a dismissive hand, forcing the man to skulk off to the antechamber beyond the books.

“Good. I should hope your brat’s behavior would avoid sullying Severus’ perfect education record anymore than it already has.” Gaunt's returning sneer was defensive, now standing between the two teenager and the rest of the enemy with the straight back of a soldier.

“Oh it will, you believe me. Might I suggest suspension at the very least? I rather think our wayward sons need some home discipline.” Lord Blacks cool tone killed any potential argument from the protesting teenagers’ mouths.

The rest of the board snapped out the soap-opera binge and stare slack jawed mode and prepared to do their jobs, bustling around to decide their vote. The silencing charm blocked the sound but left the picture and seeing Augusta Longbottom clobber no less than three Dumbledore supporters with her red handbag was something that Severus would treasure until he died. The culprits present parents reacted to nothing even as they watched the proceedings before Lord Black leaned over to whisper to Gaunt. The three men’s discussion was silent but brief and Gaunt came to kneel in front of Severus once more, guiding him back into the chair with directive hands and hushing murmurs.

“Lord Black and Auror Potter appear to have lost all faith in their sons and were thusly wondering if they may see the assault from you point of view.” Gaunt let this statement sink in and waited patiently for Severus to catch up.

“They want-they want to see? What they did? My memory?”

“That’s exactly it my lad.” Gaunt's hand was rubbing the exact same track his mother used to on his knee and maybe it was that which made Severus reach for the ever-present ring on his hand. He didn’t see Lord Black resulting proud smirk at the action, reminding the man that he really must appreciate his younger sons’ guile, as the boy rubbed the pearl anxiously, waiting for the warmth to flood him before he nodded and closed his eyes.

As the whole board watched the memory with a modified Pensive projection spell, more than one person went red or various shades of puce. Lord Blacks jaw even did the same funny little twitch Regulus’ did when he was faced with a potions essay. The marauders, silenced and petrified by the furious adults, could do nothing but blink helplessly as any chance to defend themselves dripped down the drain.

“Never in my life.” Lord Black bit out, slashing his wand down to crush the privacy charms. “You’re a shame to this house, to your name and to me and your mother.” He roared and grabbed his son by the elbow.

Severus flinched right back away from the angry man, knowing all too well what the receiving end of it felt like. Lord Black actively tried to calm himself down in response as Auror Potter looked at Severus consideringly.

“Suffice to say Messer Black and Potter and suspended until their OWLs, Mr. Pettigrew until the break and Mr. Lupin.” Longbottom shrugged, the gesture out of place on the formal dowager. “We are undecided, perhaps suspension too.” In response the aforementioned 3 boys started arguing, pleading but not for themselves for their friend.

The loyalty surprised Severus and guilt gripped his stomach when he thought of how difficult suspension could make Lupins life. “No.” he stood up, voice and legs shaking. “It’s fine, he didn’t do anything wrong. He’s not so bad really.” He paired his statement with a blasé shrug that didn’t really portray his fear towards his would-be murderer. This did seem to appease the board though and they all gathered in the antechamber, no doubt crowding a nervous Dumbledore.

“What bout me?” Severus muttered to Gaunt when they had all gone.

“What about you?” The man frowned down at him.

“They ain’t gonna suspend me too?” he whispered suspiciously.

“Over my dead body, laddie.” Gaunt snapped, before leaning down to wink at him. “And we all know how hard that’s gonna be to do.”

Looking around at the rooms lingering occupants, Lupin and Pettigrew gone to pack for the other two, he was stunned to find only McGonagall, Lily, Lucius and Auror Potter left. The latter two were in a deep discussion and Severus wanted to know what had made the older man’s forehead crease just so. Had he changed his mind about punishing his son? Gods Severus hoped not. A man with that sort of potions influence could really fuck up every single one of his options, even if his company was more of a hobby to the man. He felt nearly faint when the man came to stop in front of him, handing him a plain white business card with an owl and floo address.

“I hear you’re a potions prodigy. Always happy to encourage a future inventor. If my doorknuckle of a son hasn’t screwed it up, we’d be more happy to put out some apprenticeship feelers for you. You just stop by and tell ‘em Monty sent ya and I’ll give you the tour myself.” He finished this most shocking speech by clearing his throat and said , more formally now, “Good Luck, Heir Prince. House Potter officially extends a formal apology.”

Severus stared after the man and could only break down as the day took its toll. He leaned back in the chair and laughed. He cackled and cackled, tears streaming down his face before he felt better.

“Alright now?” Gaunt asked, pressing his hand against Severus’ forehead.

Severus gave the man an almost dopey smile and said “Nope. Not one bit. Oh Christ sake.” Before more tears overtook him, this time the bitterness overflowing in distress salt as the women looked on in horrified pity.


	11. Chapter Eleven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lily is smarter then she looks, Alex is a boss and the Dark Lord has feeeeelings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys thanks for reading and all your comments agreeing on the marauders punishment, let me know if you like this one because they're not quite finished with yet...
> 
> If you spot any mistakes please let me know.

Chp 11  
“Mr. Prince? Are you quite alright?” McGonagall’s worried voice interrupted his hysteria and Marvolo watched Severus pull himself together enough to look up at her through lidded eyes.   
“Yes Professor I’m sorry.” He ducked his head and wiped stubborn tears from his eyes with clenched fists.   
“Nonsense, Mr. Prince, it seems I am the one to owe you an apology. Perhaps if you are feeling up to it, you’ll come see me in my office for elevenses tea?”   
He stared at her in bewilderment before forcibly making his brain react. “S-sure Professor I’d like that.”

“That meeting inside has nothing to do with us now, so how about we get you to the hospital wing?” Marvolo suggested, placing a hand on Severus’ shoulder.   
“No, no I’m fine I just…”  
“Just what little snake?”   
“I’m just really tired. Can I-Can I go to bed please?” He pleaded with Marvolo with big black eyes and the dark lord couldn’t bring himself to deny such a request. 

“Sure, Severus but will you let Madam Pomphrey at least take a look at your mouth before it gets worse overnight?”  
Severus didn’t have enough strength to deny him but it was clear it took all of his strength to even budge off the chair. Marvolo offered his own arm for support without so much as thinking about it, frowning internally at his own worry for Severus’ clammy pallor. Minerva so kindly offered to go ahead and warn Poppy of their incoming as Marvolo and dear Ms. Evans supported Severus out the door, the headmasters floo blocked off, the boy glancing behind him worriedly. The raised voices and angered shouts from the antechamber were nothing if not obnoxious and Marvolo found himself making a shushing clicking sound so foreign to his tongue. 

Severus only leaned into him more and more as they stumbled to the Hospital wing as a right motley crew, the height difference almost circuslike comical. The poor child was practically burrowed into his side by the time antiseptic filled their noses, hiding in his cloak and dragging his feet. Marvolos brain argued with his gut that it would be a horrible idea to carry the child to the nearest bed despite the tired sighs escaping him. Trauma did that to a bloke. Merlin how the rage bubbled under his skin. If it wouldn’t be so obvious, he’d have strung up the culprits by their garish robes and crucioed them until he was satisfied but that wasn’t the way he was determined to do things anymore. There would be change; but in a sustainable, blood-free way. 

“Oh my word!” Poppy quickly composed herself upon seeing them and immediately turned into medical mode, shooing Severus over to the nearest white covered bed. She tutted and forcibly inhaled one deep breathe. “I’m so sorry Mr. Prince. Perhaps this will help. I’m sure you recognize the hand-writing on the label.” Her casual teasing tone made the tense teen relax as he drank his own pain-reliever potion. Marvolo found himself raising an eyebrow regardless of his blank face. How was it possible for this small human being to keep impressing him day after day? Medical grade potions at his age already, without insisting upon getting mastery credit for it was a phenomenal achievement.   
“I’m so sorry I’ve missed out on all your pain child.” She patted his cheek, leaning back when he burst into hysterical laughter.

Poppy left him to it, left him curled up and crying as she moved over to Marvolo. “I hesitate to give him another calming draught but…”  
Marvolo gave a wry smile. “More people have apologized to that boy today than they have in his whole life; he’ll be fine.”  
He shouldn’t have had to be but a kid with strength like that…he’d make it one way or another, clawing or soaring his way up.  
Marvolo snapped out of his thoughts in time to see Poppy work her magic and coax Severus into keeping him busy checking all of her apprenticeship applications whilst she cast spell after spell, frowning more and more with each one.   
“I’ll get you some milk for your tongue dear, why don’t you go get changed into some pajamas in the bathroom?” Her kind smile didn’t distract from the salve she produced as he leaned back warily. 

“Wh-whats that for?”   
“There’s just a little bruising around your genitals.” She murmured to him, assuming Marvolo couldn’t hear and missing his eyes flash as red as a Carolina Reaper pepper. “I assume you want to apply it yourself.”  
The lad nodded, looking utterly embarrassed and miserable and sick to his empty stomach before slouching off to the bathroom just as Evans appeared back out of nowhere (he hadn’t noticed her disappearance, too focused on his-the boy, he must be slacking) holding a mound of blankets.   
“The house elves comfiest.” She assured him cheerfully. “Promise.” 

Just then the horrid pained sounds of uncontrollable retching reached their ears as Madam Pomphrey rushed towards the bathroom. “Oh that poor poor boy!”  
“Oh good god is he sick?!” Evans nearly dropped everything to run to her best friends side and he stopped her with a shake of his head.   
“He’s been sexually assaulted by his worst enemy. No doubt he feels incredibly violated. Given time and the right support, he will learn to not blame himself and the disgust will lessen.” How he hated that he could vouch for that personally. A cold shudder took hold of him and Marvolo gritted his teeth to bear through it. 

“Sir? Are you ok?” Shrewd green eyes, those of the Killing Curse were watching him closely, and Marvolo realized it was just him and Lily Evans alone in the hospital wing. He didn’t have time to wonder why that made him fear slightly for his life before she started to speak. 

“You know I really do appreciate all you’ve done for Severus, professor. He really does need someone in his corner. Well someone official because he couldn’t tear me from his side if he tried. Political views aside I really do think you’re a decent chap. If an opinion from a mudblood is worth anything to you.” She shrugged, playing nonchalant but Marvolos spine was tingling as he analysed her words.   
“Policitcal views, Ms. Evans?”  
“Sure, sir. I’m not stupid. I know you support Lord Whatshisface.” She hesitated now, though not a bit afraid for her own life, despite knowing-or thinking she did-his identity.   
“At first I was gonna turn you in ‘cause it got super obvious when Severus tried so hard to impress and really you couldn’t have hid the feelings for the headmaster literally any worse if you painted them on your forehead in the blood of his phoenix.”

Good Merlin the pair on this girl!   
“Is that so?”   
“Sure sure. And you know, we were preeettttyyy desperate for a decent DADA teacher. So that sorta tipped the ole scale.” She gave another shrug and shifted the blankets in her arms.   
“What on Earth is wrong with you, you crazy child?”  
She grinned at him, raised her wand and said “I won’t tell anyone, I swear.” Her wand glowed, binding her to her word.   
Marvolo stared at her stunned, not having the time to say much more as Severus trailed out of the bathroom with a soothing Poppy rubbing his thin shoulders. Marvolo wanted to rid the boy of his woeful look and pulled a blanket from the towering pile. 

He guided the lad to the bed and fixed his new pajamas around his shoulders where his protruding collarbone lay exposed. He wrapped the fluffy blanket-green of course-around the boy like a burrito and helped slip on bed shoes to frozen tiny feet. Poppy handed over some milk, gratefully accepted, and using it as a sleight of hand distraction any magician would be proud of. Marvolo slipped the papers into his pocket, bristling already at how many sheets were needed to detail the injuries of Severus’ life. They sat side by side for a few moments as the day ended and the laughter of the milling students echoed through the halls. Poppy bustled around with the expertise of a comforting nurse as Lily held his best friends hand in a vice grip whilst his other was used to sup the milk with great full gulps. 

Marvolo opened his mouth but for the first time in his life, he didn’t know what to say. Merlin comforting teenagers wasn’t his forte. But it was his responsibility to ensure that Severus was safe so he moved his hand slowly to let the child be aware of each gesture and rubbed circles between the pointed shoulder blades.   
“Do you feel safe enough to return to your dorm tonight? Your dorm-mates won’t give you any trouble?”  
This got him a big toothy grin that deaged Severus by years. “Not since you right told ‘em off sir. They won’t even look at me!”  
“I’m very glad to hear that.” He quirked a smile at a concerned looking Ms. Evans who undoubtedly didn’t realise Severus’ house troubles. Marvolo ruffled the long hair and offered the boy a hand up. 

“I’m sure you’d rather sleep in a familiar bed, so I’ll escort you down with your choice of the many blankets Ms. Evans has so kindly provided for you.” The two teenagers exchanged smiles and head movements, communicating in a way he’d only ever seen siblings do.  
Ms. Evans wrapped Severus in an octopus strangle hold, otherwise known as a hug before she dared part from him, kissing his cheek, giving Marvolo a warning look and sailing out of the room.

“It’s still early.” Severus mumbled a half protest as they trekked through the dungeons.   
“I know. But I reckon you’ll sleep hm? And you have a meeting with Professor McGonagall bright and early in the morning. You’ll need your sleep before she stuffs you full of shortbread and well-meaning advice.” This made the boy giggle and Marvolo chuckled with him, shooing him off to bed with a squeeze on his shoulder. The warmth in his chest only grew as he was left alone in the dungeon corridor, the bell summoning him to his last class of the day.

“Have a biscuit, Mr. Prince.”   
Severus snatched one from the proffered tin, knowing an order when he saw one. “Yes ma’am thank you.”   
McGonagall sighed again.   
“I’m not gonna bite ya laddie. I only brought you here so I could properly express my sincere apologies for letting you down so drastically.”  
“Professor you don’t have to, I mean I-”  
“I rather say I do. I’m so very sorry Severus, very sorry indeed. There was countless times where I should have let you explain properly and not doled out equal punishment for a clear case of bullying. It goes against each of my professional morals to think that I’ve enabled those boys and their horrendous behavior to the point of-of-”  
Here she became so irate she could hardly speak, her lips pursing and shaking her head.   
“Of sexual assault.” 

Severus flinched back, not liking the way that term made him feel. “Madam Pomphrey said that too. So did professor Gaunt but I-”  
“Don’t like it?” the pity in McGonagall’s eyes didn’t make him feel worse and he only gave her a wry smile.   
“Because you can’t deny that’s what happened.” She pressed gently, filling up his tea cup with admittedly the nicest tea he’d had since his mums.   
“I-I know. I just, I never thought…”  
Severus swallowed a large gulp of the warm tea and shuddered at the reminder.   
“I’m always here for you, lad, not to make up for my mistake but only to support the brightest of the new generation with whatever I can. Though I’m sure professor Gaunt has me well beaten eh?” Her smirk caught him off guard and he blushed and stuttered through a feeble explanation. 

McGonagall was easier on him through the rest of the tea and Severus did have to admit, 3 pots later, that he did feel lighter. The corridors were almost peaceful with no hidden pranks to be found around the corner; the marauders being carefully monitored before they had to leave this morning. Noise of a conundrum reached his ears and Severus sighed and prepared to turn around and avoid it at all costs.   
First years ran by and one of them stopped, a Hufflepuff friend of Cynthia Summers to grin up at him broadly.   
“C’mon Prince, you’re gonna wanna see this!”   
“See what?”  
They ran by, the kid calling over his shoulder “The Ravenclaw keeper is beating the shit out of Potter and Black! I hope he gets my mums badges back for me.”

Severus blinked and reeled back. Alex was doing what now? His long legs soon overtook the smaller first years and he nearly stumbled into a fight club like circle of students yelling   
“Fight, fight, FIGHT, FIGHT!”   
Severus looked up from the rocous to see Black hanging off the corner of a portrait by his underwear. He was also greener than Slytherin’s house crest all over, including his hands and hair. It made for quite the garish sight but had nothing on the words spilling out of his mouth.   
Horrible childish secrets making the crowd recoil as he shrieked to the world in falsetto how he’d given himself a black eye trying to suck his own dick this summer. 

A sickening crack distracted from the disaster that had become Sirius Black as Severus pushed through the crowd to see Potters glasses fly off his face in return for Alex’s fist. His nose was long broken it seemed and he was howling about the indignities of it all.   
“I-I’ll report you to the Headmaster for bullying, you-you can’t do this!”  
“Watch me!” A stinging hex followed as Alex ranted on “You don’t know shit about bullying you fucking toerag. You being a bully, by definition makes you weak as shit. And, as Ravenclaw I do love my proof so here : being a bully makes you a person who habitually seeks to harm or intimidate those whom they perceive as vulnerable.”  
He stood up, saw Severus in the crowd, who was staring at him completely doe-eyed and in love, and gave a big satisfied grin. Alex whirled around and grabbed Potter by the collar. He held the other boy up close and whispered a threat in his ear, something so dour it terrified him beyond reason. Evident by the yellow stream dribbling down the seekers pants leg as he whimpered. 

Lupin, on the fringes of the crowd, let his loosely clasped wand dangle from his fingers as he bowed his head and did what cowards do best. Walk away. Alex finished his most marvelous ensemble by kneeing Potter in the balls before physically throwing him the two meters down the corridor. “And fucking stay there.” He snarled, anger nearly pouring off him as the crowd dispersed.   
Soon only Severus and Alex were left, staring at each other across the bloodstains on the ancient floor, eyes only for each other. It was Severus who made the first step, his feet moving him with only a little hesitance after what could have only been a declaration of affection.   
“Thank you.” He murmured. “I’ve wanted to do that for so long but...”  
“Yeah the trouble you’d get in wouldn’t really be worth it.” Alex wrinkled his nose and Severus took note of how it made his freckles scrunch up and blot, mapping every each of his face.  
“But if you get in trouble-”  
“Can’t. They’ve been suspended. They’re not officially students so I'd just like to see anyone try lay something on me for that one. I know my rights, I’ve read the Hogwarts charter.”  
Severus laughed and let Alex pull him into his grasp. The broader boys shoulders smelled like morning dew and wood varnish from the quidditch robes rumpled on his body, though he still smelt like he had when they’d first met. Parchment from his hands and coffee from his mouth and neck where it was clear someone had been too distracted by homework and side projects to watch where the cup and their mouth was. Severus’ lips curled up into a smile as he inhaled into Alex’s shoulder. His life mightn’t have been perfect but as he felt hands curl around his back, he thought it was pretty damn good at the minute.


	12. Chapter Twelve

Chapter Twelve

Severus shifted in his seat, took a breath and for the first time since his first year didn’t stop his hand shooting up in response to Professor Babbling’s question. The woman arched an eyebrow in surprise at this new behavior but nodded. “Yes, Mr. Prince?”  
“Ehwaz means Partnership, Professor.”  
“Yes, you’re quite correct and seeing as most of you got this wrong on your homework, take notes. Ehwaz and Eihwaz are not the same! 5 points to Slytherin.”  
She turned away and began to write on the board as the small class clambered to keep up with her scribbling hand. Severus grinned as his own hand flew across the page before it was able to be fitted in his binder beside the rest of his notes and assignments. An E in transfiguration, an actual O in Potions and one in Arithmancy too. His grades had taken a remarkable turn when his homework had been in a fit state to be handed in consistently being actually present without being covered in whatever gunk or slime thrown at him that week by the marauders. Even as Severus’ heart soared as he accepted the nudge from a grinning Alex beside him, the letter that had started the descent of the marauders burned a hole in his pocket, crumpled and worn as he tried to find a loophole in the desperate seeking ways of a Slytherin. 

The bell rang and a flustered mixed class of Ravenclaws and Slytherins ran from the room, faces red in confusion and neat hair in disarray as it was pulled in exasperation. Severus did love exam time. It prompted the best facial expressions from his fellow classmates. And best of all, this year, thanks to a certain looming Dark Lord, Severus was not stuck hauling up his pureblooded housemates’ grades by the ears. His feelings were a jumbled mess, happy one moments solely focused on the present and a looming sense of terror when faced with the future. Was this puberty for everyone? Cause it fucking sucked and Severus wanted a refund and a meeting with the manager, thank you very much. 

“Why so glum gorgeous?”  
Alex linked his arm in Severus’ elbow and stepped in beside him like he’d always been there. His brows were furrowed in the cutest expression of concern and Severus wanted to coo at him like he was one of those cats caught in a blanket and yowling miserably at it.  
He had his mouth half open, the letter half pulled from his pocket before his brain kicked his feelings swiftly back to their buried place behind every lock and key he could muster with occlumency. No, it was yet too dangerous to share something so intimately personal with Alex. And besides if he knew what (or who) Severus faced at home, who knew what he would say? No it was safer this way. Then why, he wondered, did he feel so utterly rubbish about it.  
“I’m neither glum nor gorgeous Dalessandro, are you sick perhaps?”  
This familiar banter did calm him as did Alex’s cheerful laugh, “Lovesick maybe.” He bumped their hips together and then with a calm confidence only betrayed by his fluttering eyelashes, Alex leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Severus cheek.  
“Bye Sev, see you later yeah?!” And then Alex was gone taking Severus’ whole world and composure with him as he stood slack jawed in the corridor, shrieking students milling about around him. Merlindamn that stupid Ravenclaw and his stupid goodlooking kindness that made it hard for Severus to crush his feelings with the battering ram that was his tongue. Stupid life stupid crush, just stupid.  
Severus stomped to DADA trying to internally rant whilst also screaming mentally because Alex had kissed him. On the cheek. But it still counted. Didn’t it? Ugh. He didn’t know. Ew feelings. Feelings were complicated and if Severus were to catch The Feelings then it would make his own life more complicated which he did not need right now. He had a summer homing crises he did not need a love crisis. Which it was not. No Love. No absolutely not, just a crush brought on because Alex’s arms looked damn fit contained in Quidditch robes and no other reason. 

Severus slumped into his chair and let his head fall down onto the desk below. His life was over. He was done. It was just ugh and-  
“Be that as it may Mr. Prince may I request you leave your personal crisis out of my classroom and pay attention?”  
Professor Gaunt's comment didn’t reach anyone else’s ears, but a red flush spread up his neck and ears and Severus nodded jerkily.  
“Sorry sir.” He whispered, pulling his things out of his bag and ignoring the gentle hand Lily placed on his arm. What he couldn’t ignore however, as Gaunt turned and began to lecture for their theory class of the week, was the piece of parchment Lily shoved under his elbow and punctured with a jab to arm.  
He tried to remain diligent and stay focused and for a while it worked until it didn’t, and an idea occurred to him. The whole legal contingent of the claim was that he was underage right, well if he wasn’t anymore, with just a little flick or a small aging potion maybe not all hope was lost. He pulled out the letter and scanned the print again heart beating rapidly and not slowing as a long shadow loomed over him, suddenly blocking his sunlight. Professor Gaunt didn’t look best impressed and Severus’ idea shriveled as he realized the man looked almost…disappointed in him. He hoped that wasn’t the case because that made his stomach rock queasily.  
“See me after class.” Was the only thing that greeted him and the silence in the rest of the class was so deafening Severus wanted to sink into the ground and stay there. He couldn’t even bring himself to lift his hand to take more notes, only let his head hang and wished his hair would still cover his red cheeks. When the bell rang, dread curdled itself in his stomach and he scooped up his quills and books one by one, praying everyone would just leave already. Lily squeezed his arm, hugged him tight and used it to whisper, “I’ll be right outside, ok?”

Severus nodded, managing to muster up a smile for his best friend and let his feet shuffle forwards towards the door Professor Gaunt held open. The man crossed his desk and sat down behind it, leaving Severus very much feeling about 3 feet tall and shrinking. He opened his mouth and let a rushed litany of apologies fall out, finishing with “So really sir, I am sorry I didn’t mean any disrespect it’s just that-”  
“What’s wrong little snake?” Gaunt's gentle probing flooded him and he collapsed into the seat opposite. Severus closed his eyes and rubbed the ring on his finger, a newfound habit in times of stress. As it warmed around his skin, he pulled the letter from his pocket and handed it over.  
He watched Gaunt's face as he read it, analyzing every micro expression and desperately hoping he would magically have a solution. 

“Oh Severus. How long has this been stressing you, child?” Gaunt folded back over the letter and fixed him with a soft smile.  
“Since the marauders.” Severus mumbled looking down at his hands.  
“Silly boy, you should have told me. Or at least if not me, Ms. Evans who surely would have…told me. At least someone.” He finished hastily with a little frown. “Anyhow, I will not let that happen, you won’t return there even if I do have to arrange to steal you away in the night. I’m sure I have a few followers who won’t object.” They exchanged smiles and Severus felt his shoulders sink back down from around his ears.  
“And besides once you pass your OWLs you’ll have access to the Prince properties and if anyone tries to interfere with your lordship I shall pitch a fit of unholy proportions.”

“And I’ll definitely get the lordship?” Severus confirmed hesitantly.  
“Oh indeed, it’s an old pureblood stipulation I’m rather fond of, stops the meddling of old goats.” He grumbled to himself and looks decidedly displeased.  
“Sir? Did he stop your lordships somehow?” Severus asked hesitantly, the thought was horrifying. It was the gravest insult to a pureblood house to do such a thing.  
Professor Gaunt sighed and seemed to age in front of him.  
“When I was around your age, a little older perhaps, it took rather a lot of digging to unearth that he set up a mail redirection ward, amongst certain... others, on me once I was in school. I always did wonder why my year-mates never wrote to me, I’m not sure what he had to gain by isolating me, who knows with that man’s motivations. It eroded away after I left and as I began to travel, I underwent more and more rituals of all the native magical cultures but it was after one in particular that I think his bind really broke.” The man was almost entranced, lost in his own memories.  
Severus leaned forward, reveling in the new knowledge. “Where were you then sir?”  
“I was in Albania. And I almost didn’t go through with the ritual, it was a rather impulsive decision to do so and one I rather gather changed my life. Had I not done so…I fear what would have become of me.” A soft smile graced his features and he looked almost sad. Severus had a need to wipe that look off his face and offered.  
“Well I think you’re wonderful. Sir.”  
“Thank you, lad.”  
“Can I ask what changed your mind?” Severus asked hesitantly, aware the overly private professor had shared more than normal.  
“Ah.” Here a smile graced the professors face. “An old friend. I’ll introduce her to you one day.”  
“Yes sir.”  
“Now get going, I’m sure dear Ms Evans and your betrothed are eagerly awaiting your presence.”  
Severus felt his cheeks flush. “Siiiirrrrr he’s not my-we’re not-he kissed my cheek, what does that mean?” The question tumbled out of his mouth and he looked up at Gaunt beseechingly.  
“It means he likes you lad. Now how about you go kiss him back, hm?”  
“I’m going to go now.” Severus closed his eyes and pulled his bag from the floor. He strode to the door and ignored the chuckles coming from the professor.  
“Byesirthankyou.” He flung the classroom door closed behind him and let a grin take over his face. 

“Hey there. Seeing as you’re finally released, wanna wish me luck for the big game?” Alex peered down at him, a smug smirk showcasing his teeth, one on the bottom slightly crooked.  
Lily giggled behind him, “Of course he will, won’t you Sev?”  
Severus frowned, sensing something else going on. “Ye-es.”  
“Hold this for me then?” Alex shrugged off his robe, the DALESSANDRO ‘4’ emblazoned on the back and Severus felt warmth move up his chest as he shrugged on the taller boys’ robes. 

Alex grinned, eyeing Severus up and down before sweeping him into a massive hug, lifting him off his feet and twirling him around enough to make them both dizzy. Severus leaned into the beater to get his bearings and as Alex’s warm breath ghosted past his ear Severus let confidence surge through him and lifted his head to press a kiss to a pale cheek.  
“Good luck.” He whispered.  
The smile he received in return for his bold move made his panic recede and transform into a bubbling cauldron of joy.  
Cheering reached their ears, the supporters from the stands mid chant and Severus realized he’d missed the beginning of it because he was standing there encapsulated in Alex’s arms and staring into his eyes like their colour was going to be on their next Transfiguration quiz. Which he would totally ace because he could map out exactly what shade of electric blue they looked in the sun and where the little flecks of baby blue were. But he wasn’t in love, nopenopenopedity. Just a crush. 

Severus grimaced as he broke eye contact and burrowed his head in Alex’s shoulder, which was plenty broad enough for his head and one of his hands to rest on. So not in love. Besides everyone thought they were in love at 16 all the time. Totally normal. Great now he couldn’t even lie to himself.  
“I can feel you stress-thinking. Stop thinking for once and maybe try enjoy the game?”  
“How can I when I’m worried you’re going to get your stupid face bashed in and then what will I look at?”  
“Ah I see, you’re only here for my good looks.”  
“Well obviously.” Severus huffed as he extracted himself from the Herculean grip.  
“Not that this isn’t incredibly cute and I’m very glad for the cute photos to send home to Mum but I would actually like to watch my house win, thank you very much so can we get a move on lovebirds? Please and thank you.”  
Lily butted in with the most insidious smirk on her face as she made shooing motions with the camera she clutched in her hand. 

“Lilyyyyy.” Severus moaned as his hand found its way to Alex’s and somehow became intertwined with his calloused one. Well it would be rude to let go so Severus supposed it would be perfectly acceptable until the match started. He used his spare hand to reach for and swat the camera as they began to meander towards the noise but Lily artfully dodged and blew him a kiss as she ran ahead.  
“C’mon Sev, Mum is going to love them, she’ll probably send Alex all the fudge in the house!”  
Severus leapt for the camera and was halted by hands around his waist.  
“Hey nono you ain’t getting that camera if I’m getting fudge for this.”  
“But if Mrs Evans sends it to you there won’t be any left for me and then I will stab you in the eye in your sleep.”  
“Relax babe we can share. Or not if it means you’ll be close enough for cuddles in my sleep.” With that doozy, Alex winked and set off on a jog towards the stands and left Severus scowling.

“That’s not-he can’t-fuck!”  
Lily patted his shoulder. “I’m sure he can fuck Sev, don’t worry, soon enough you’ll know.”  
“Piss off Lily.” He shouldered her gently and she laughed, elbowing him back.  
“Hey I’m not the one wearing his quidditch robe. That’s as Official as it gets.”

“What’s official?” A bemused Professor Gaunt asked from where he shepherded students into the crowded stands.  
“Hi Professor. That Severus’ has himself a fella! Isn’t it great?”  
“Indeed.” His amusement was practically palpable, and Severus felt himself grow red. Good Merlin could he just die now please and stop this fresh hell.  
Gaunt opened his mouth then paused. “Nice robe, Mr. Prince.” Before the last of the students passed him and he swept away with an eyeroll as the cheers grew. 

“Oh Merlin. Lily for Christ’s sake did you really have to-”  
“Oh hush, Professor Gaunt is, uh, what’s the phrase, ‘invested in your well-being’. Yeah! He’d totally want to know. Now hurry up the game is starting.” She looked his way with a sly smile.  
“You don’t wanna put your fella off his game if you’re not cheering him on, hm?”  
And while Severus did open his mouth to object, he couldn’t help it, minutes later, if he whooped the loudest when a solid whack from Alex had the Gryffindor reserve seeker incapacitated and allowed the Ravenclaw seeker to snatch the Golden Ball of Death from the air.  
The cheers from the eagles made it seem as though the snitch was worth actual money and their win actually meant something, though Severus couldn’t keep the grin off his face if he tried. 

His dopey smile was matched by a sweaty and victorious Alex as he swerved around the cheering crowds and strode into view. His hair was tousled and dirty, he had a large bruise spanning his entire cheekbone and yet none of that caught Severus’ eye as much as the shirt over his shoulder did. Alex’s entire upper body-ripped, naked, and bruised upper body-was glistening with sweat, droplets rolling a river over his abs and Severus felt a small part of him just float off and die as he drooled. 

He collected himself and ignored Lily’s giggling as he cleared his throat.  
“Con-ahem-congratulations. You do look rather warm though, so I don’t think Ill be giving this back.” He pulled the robe on him closer and sniffed imperiously to distract from his red cheeks. His hand wandered over the blue lining as he pondered. “It does match your eyes though.”  
Alex smirked and Severus just knew he was preparing to come out with something utterly cheesy and smooth.  
“Well seeing as you’re so attached to my eyes does that mean you’ll come for dinner with me so I can stare into yours?”  
Fuck. Severus swallowed and managed “I suppose that could be arranged.”  
They had time to share one more smile before they were mobbed by applauding Ravenclaws, lifting Alex up on their shoulders and screaming. Severus threw his head back and laughed at his keepers plight as his face turned dangerously green, before the Slytherin let himself be washed away in the crowd stampeding back to Hogwarts in the shadow inducing moonlight.


	13. Chapter Thirteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Severus goes on a date and it gives him an idea. Orrr my way to actually begin the Plot.

Chapter 13.

The cobblestone felt unsteady against his feet but Severus couldn’t have cared less. He had never felt so confident in his steps, his arm safely intertwined in Alex’s. The stars provided a nice map on the winding way back to Hogwarts, twinkling as they approved the boys’ decision to forgo the carriages and stroll back themselves.   
“It’s a shame I can’t sneak you into the tower because I don’t want this night to end.” Alex whispered against Severus hair, his lips warm against his scalp.   
“Well you’ve read the charter back to front, you gorgeous nerd, tell me is it against the rules?” Severus returned, his stomach heating at the idea. He hadn’t considered their night ending and the thought made the butterbeer sour on his tongue. 

Alex chuckled nervously. “So I have a little confession to make…”  
Severus snorted. “I know damn well you haven’t read the charter; I don’t know if anyone’s ever even seen it. It’s probably hidden away from the world because it’ll make the administrations life awkward if people start quoting it all they like.” As he finished his own sentence the thought sparked an idea in his head but now wasn’t the time for politics, so he boxed it off and moved his head up to nuzzle his boyfriend. And wasn’t that weird. How did it even work? Did they ask, was there a Talk, an Official Announcement, or a time limit or something? Ew. Complicated.

“Hey I don’t like how thinkythinking you’re looking. I sense a lot of groveling in my future.” Alex’s light teasing tones never failed to draw him out of his own mind by bribing him with kisses like one did children and cookies.   
“I suppose I could forgive you.” He murmured and then tilted his head up to look at Alex.   
“Kisses.” He demanded with a pout and Alex grinned.   
“Always happy to oblige, my lovely.”

Their mouths met, melding together in a comfortable and familiar way, much unlike their first kiss exchange in which Severus had been intimately aware of each and every sensation and of Alex’s tongue in his mouth. He leaned into the kiss, eyes closed and only opened them again minutes later. It seemed like no time had passed and yet the darkening sky told another story all together. Severus shoved his hands under the other boy’s jacket and giggled as he yelped.   
“Your hands are freezing babe, Jesus.”   
“You gonna warm ‘em up for me?”  
“Such high maintenance.” Alex freed his body from Severus’ heat stealing ways and brought both hands up to place a kiss on them. He didn’t let them go and only clasped one in his and steered them further on the road. 

They snuck into the castle, tiptoeing around the cracks and the trick stairs to avoid prefects and Mrs. Norris and held hands as they stifled their giggles around their fists, finally parting ways when the clock struck 11. The memory of their goodbye kiss made Severus smile into his pillow, wrapped in Alex’s cloak. The older boys smell was still lingering on the soft material and Severus sighed into it and he curled up and drifted off to sleep, a dopey grin stretching his face. 

His face must have retained the same grin as his eyes met Lily’s across the corridor the next morning, bright and early. She held up the cups of coffee as she walked away from the Great Hall, stacks of toast tucked safely under her arm as she smirked.   
“Lost you in Hogsmeade yesterday and I, uh, waited for you in the Entrance Hall but I think you were a lil too busy to show.” She bumped her hip off his as they walked towards the library, the only safe place for a Gryffindor and Slytherin to hang out together because Madam Pince had a very strict no hexing policy. As they settled into their seats and ducked their heads behind stacks of books to munch on buttery toast, Severus regaled Lily of his night of romance.   
“His dish was delicious as well-cause he gave me a taste you know (don’t look at me like thaaat Lils)- and then we got more candles when they burned out, and that nonalcoholic champagne, you know the one, and then we shared a dessert.” He could feel himself blushing as she leaned over to hug him and squeal quietly in his ear.   
“And then?”  
“And then, we, you know, stopped off to…kiss a little.”   
Lily planted her hands on her cheeks as her mouth opened in an ‘O’.   
“Ohhh ye got caught in that rain shower didn’t ye? Ayyyy that’s so romantic.” 

Severus grinned, her giddiness infectious and the good feelings from the previous night returned with a vengeance.   
“Yeah, he, uh, he gave me his cloak, Lily it smelled so good, I swear.” His leg jiggled a mile a minute as he squeezed her hand. Lily bounced like she’d be jinxed as she cheered him on. Their homework lay forgotten, the empty DADA project sheet containing nothing but a drafted drawing of the prototype bracelets that lay secured on their wrists. As Severus continued to recall his night, his revelation of the Hogwarts Charter hit him once again and he nearly tripped over his chair in his haste to get to Madam Pince’s desk. 

“Excuse me, ma’am, I was wondering if you had a copy of the Hogwarts Charter on hand?”   
Her glasses slipped from her hand as she stared at him in shock like something out of a bad comedy.   
“Oh err, yes I do Mr. Prince, one moment. You’re the very first student in my entire tenure here to ask for it.”  
“It must be an incredibly old copy then.” He murmured, his hope suddenly plummeting and nerves squirming in their place.   
“Oh nono, not at all.” She dusted off a tome larger than her head with a blasé ease. “It’s self-updating, though it hasn’t been updated in the last 50 years or so to the best of my knowledge.”   
“R-really?”  
“Hmhmm. Do enjoy. I shan’t add it to your checkout list as I highly doubt you would want to lug this back to your dorm.” She peered down at him with a small smile for one of her favourite students.  
“No ma’am.” He shared in her smile and took the book to let his arms adjust to the weight of his new hope.   
“And all these rules are still very much in effect?” He asked casually, waiting with bated breath for her answer.   
“Oh yesyes of course. There’s the school rules everyone knows and then some in there. All enforceable in one way or another.”

“Thank you ever so much Madam Pince.” He whispered and fled back to the table where Lily’s eyebrows were as folded as her arms.   
“What in the name of Abbas Greatest Hits do you want that for?”   
He floundered for a moment, debating on the merits of telling her exactly why he did want it but they had had many rows in the past over her argument that all his anti-Dumbledore talk came from his dormmates and his point that all she ever read about was the Light propaganda and ministry approved bullshit. Lately she hadn’t said a word to him about either, being suspiciously quiet on both topics, but maybe she was finally reevaluating her opinion on Dumbledore considering she had been physically present for his mistreatment at the Headmasters hands. 

Something in his gut told him not quite yet, and he let his mouth smoothly run the little white lie. “I want to see if it’s against the rules for Alex and I to maybe visit each other’s…common room.”   
“Sure.” She teased; all judgement gone. “Common Rooms you say. Totally not dorm rooms.” She finished with a wink, waving her hand towards the charter. “I’ll leave you to that monstrosity then. Ew. Call me if you need any, err, help with that.”  
He nodded and gingerly flicked open the contents page. Severus spent the better half of his Sunday morning slogging through endless rules on Cauldron Thickness Decrees that couldn’t even please his potion mad heart before he finally reached what he wanted.   
Rules on Bias and Student Grievance Procedure. Yes. Yes this was it, the break they’d been waiting for. He grinned giddily and leaned over to rifle through Lily’s bag, sitting innocently on the chair.   
She only flickered up briefly, both of them well-used to the other encroaching on their space in a long approved of rule of their friendship. Sharing is caring after all. He rifled through until he found her camera, gripping it with white knuckles. As he snapped and then pocketed the photo, excitement bubbled in his stomach. Finally. 

Severus practically leapt out of his seat when the lunch bell rang, hauling Lily with him as she laughed. They went their separate ways in the hall and Severus ignored the appearing food in favour of craning his head to catch Professor Gaunt’s eye. He scowled to himself, why was the man so punctual every single time except for lunch? I mean it was Sunday lunch so nobody really cared and half the student body was absent but it didn’t calm Severus in the slightest. 

When the man finally swept into his seat, Severus made his way up to the table, thankful for all the noise so no one would take note of the skinny fifth year weaving up to the staff.   
Gaunt had just placed a roll in his mouth when Severus approached him and he glared at him through slitted eyes as if knowing this was going to interrupt his lunch. 

“I am sorry to interrupt, professor but I was wondering if I could ask you a question about our lesson on Unbreakable Vows.” 

Gaunt sobered up, put down the sandwich and rose in a fluid movement that made each atom of Severus’ gangly teenage body ache with jealousy as he followed the professor to the side antechamber. The second the door was closed and warded with a few spells from the dark lord, Severus could hold it in no longer and burst out “I know how we can get rid of him. The charter specifically states that if a headmaster does not uphold a nonbiased, safe environment for his students he can removed by popular vote of the current governing body from the position and, if the offence is serious enough, charged and prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”  
“Oh.” Gaunt breathed. “That’s brilliant. Why did the stupid charter not occur to me before?”   
“It only occurred to me because I wanted to check if it was against the rules to sleep in my boyfriends dorm.” Severus offered and then closed his eyes. What the fuck brain. Why did he say that, holy mother of Mordred, Morgana and Santa Claus. 

Gaunt blinked. And blinked again before segwaying smoothly, “And the Unbreakable Vow charade?”  
“Oh, oh no I actually have a question about that. If one was to make a vow and then legally and magically change their name, is the vow still upheld?”   
“I would imagine, if said new name was Gringotts registered and magically-yes I don’t see how the vow wouldn’t be voided.”   
“Really?” Severus whispered in awe, and then wet his tongue in preparation to share what had plagued him for a full year now.   
“Remus Lupin is a werewolf.” He yelled and then waited to be struck down in a flash of righteous lightening. When no such thing happened, he cast a wandless Lumos just to check his magic was still intact and when it was, Severus lost the maturity of each of his 15 years and whooped around the room like a child, cartwheeling like a gymnast. Gaunt stared in complete bewilderment. 

“What does Lupin being a werewolf have to do with…Oh no tell me he didn’t.”  
“He did. Last year Lily and I we, we weren’t talking for a while and uh, when Black came up to me, knew I’d just figured it out, and told me Potter was taking Lily for a walk down there I was like yeah whatever piss off but then I looked out the window at that godforsaken full moon and I-I couldn’t take the chance that it could be true.” He was pleading with Marvolo, begging him to understand why he would do something so phenomenally stupid.  
“I-I got there and he said all you had to do was press the lil knot and I did and-” Severus swallowed, sinking into a nearby chair, his hands clenching into his robe. His skin was pale as he recounted the night that fueled his nightmares. He shook his head and continued on.   
“Anyway it turns out that Potter and his gang are animagi so he gets to charge in as a bloody stag and in his damn office Dumbledore tells me I owe him a life debt and he-he said I had to swear an Unbreakable Vow or I’d be expelled.” He whispered hoarsely. 

He looked up when his tears dried to see Gaunt pacing the floor, his eyes glowing a blood red.   
“B-but sir that’s not all bad right? We could use this against him? I mean we don’t even have to out Lupin but I’m pretty sure putting students in danger and making them swear unbreakable vows unsupervised and as minors is a good start.”

“Yes, excellent point and once we get a little starting point to get him investigated even a little then we can reveal a little by little, because warding students also happens to be illegal.” Gaunt murmured.   
“But-but sir, are you really going to tell everyone about your own past?”  
“Seeing how deeply he has failed you, I highly doubt he will change his tune on the nonexistence of child abuse and I hate to think in another ten years or more there will be another small child who he will send back to a home like ours.”  
His passionate speech sparked something in Severus and he thought it strange for someone so against child abuse to sanction raids on muggles on his weekend off.   
“Yes sir, thank you.” He wiped his eyes again and gave the man a little half bow before turning back to munch on his lunch and planning exactly how he was to break it to Lily she’d be living with a werewolf.


	14. Chapter Fourteen

Chapter 14

Severus waylaid Lily after lunch, waving at a drowsy Regulus from across the hall after he received a bleary half smile and a less than enthusiastic hand lift. He bore several light whacks to the arm as Lily demanded to know just what he thought he was doing because Mary needed all their support right now and he couldn’t just haul her away like this with no explanation. Severus pulled her into an abandoned classroom on the middle of the third floor, so out of the way no one could possibly just stumble upon it. 

“Muffliato! Lily, Lily please just hear me out! I need to tell you something really important ok?”   
“Alright.” She crossed her arms with her legs slightly spread. “Go ahead then.”  
“Lupin is a werewolf!”  
“What, Remus, no he can’t be, but-but-”  
“Ever wondered why he’s sick a few times a month?” Her mouth opened and closed in awe as her brain jumbled through the new information.   
“Oh god, poor Remus! That must be horrible to deal with.”  
“Yeah I feel really damn sorry for him.” Severus spit sarcastically. 

Lily fixed him with a harsh glare. “Honestly Severus. Can’t you ever have a bit of compassion?! I know being in Slytherin isn’t all easy for you but seriously sometimes I wonder if your dorm-mates influence you more than you’d like to admit. You scare me sometimes, when you act as cold as they do.”  
“You don’t know anything about my dorm-mates, what do they have to do with anything?!”  
“Oh, I know damn well about your dorm-mates Sev! What they had planned to do to Mary is just-”   
“The only reason McDonald wasn’t ambushed at all is because of me, are you forgetting what I risked to tell you? Or are you just like the rest of Dumbledore Gryffindor sycophants now and won’t take the word of a Slytherin?!”  
“Well I’m sorry if most of the Slytherins I know aren’t shining beams of goodness!”  
“With the way the Headmaster treats us, the way this whole school doesn’t give a fuck about us, can you honestly blame us? You’ve never been treated cruelly in your whole damn life Lily, not even for being a mudblood! I begged and bartered and took hex after hex to get Lucius to get them to lay off you, going around like you fucking know everything! There’s a whole side of this world you don’t even know about.”  
“Dark Magic? Is that what you’re talking about, Dark Magic?”  
“It’s not, it’s not like that! It’s not as evil as you think-”  
“Don’t you think I know that, but Dark Magic is illegal Sev like it or not.” When he said nothing and only glared at her, hurt and upset by her obstinance, she urged again.  
“Look you’ve gotta understand I’m not like you, I don’t have access to the information you do, in Gryffindor and as a muggleborn and a lot of what you’re saying sounds like what they say is Death Eater propaganda. And I know you’d never do that, you’d never hurt anyone! I’ll support you through anything you know that, I just-I’m trying to come to terms with what I believe right now, ok?”  
“Fine. Go figure it out, cause everything I say is just a lie, right? Why even bother to ask me, it’s not like I know or anything. Yeah you go have fun with that Lily.”  
She huffed and marched away, equal angry tears welling up inside both of them. Severus ambled out into the corridor minutes later, supposing he should go get some work done but felt so unmotivated it wasn’t even funny. He sank down where he stood, curling his knees up to his chest to make a perfect resting space for his tired head. 

“Hey.”   
Severus looked up, wand out and the tip glowing. He put it down sheepishly in the face of a sleepy Alex, gazing at him in surprise.   
“Sev? Would it be ok if I sat down here beside you right now?”  
Severus nodded, staring at the hand left outstretched near his knee. He felt a little like an alien, like he was above himself watching the whole proceedings from the ceiling. This was the downside of unmonitored Occlumency, emotions becoming a far fly away strings of nothingness in his consciousness.  
“It’s ok, we’ve got all the time in the world, you’re doing just fine Brainiac.” Alex’s soothing tones continued for several minutes, winding him back into his body like a cast away fishing line.   
He began to feel tingles from the pins and needles in his toes and let out a huff of breath.   
“Heyyyy Sev, there we go. Do you think I could give you a hug right now?”  
That sounded wonderful and Severus croaked out. “Yes please.” He was drawn into Alex’s arms, the strong limbs wrapping all the way around him, enveloping him in warmth and comfort as he spilled his tale of Lily and his fight. 

“It’s ok for you to be mad at her you know. You don’t owe her anything for being kind to you just because you have in your head she’s a better person somehow. Newsflash, babe, her having a loving home of a richer class doesn’t necessarily make her a moral compass for your world. You guys were friends as kids right? Just because she was kind to you once doesn’t mean that you owe her to never disagree with her ever. Fact is Lily is just as stubborn as you are and I think seeing from the others point of view, especially on the things that are so taboo nowadays, like the likes of Dark Magic,” Alex hesitated, as though Aurors were about to run around the corner and arrest him for expressing his opinion that Dark Magic maybe wasn’t so bad; “Mightn’t be such a bad idea. I mean what are friends for?”

Severus sniffed, dragging a sleeve across his face. “You think so?”  
“Sure darling, apologize because you mean it and wanna see from her point of view but not because you think you should hide who you are just to keep a friend.”  
“But she’s my only friend.” Severus murmured, feeling utterly pathetic for even voicing it.   
“Oi! What am I, chopped liver?”

Severus giggled and accepted the hand hauling him to his feet.   
“I think you need some good ol brewing therapy.” Alex kissed his head and wrapped an arm around his waist to accompany him to the labs.   
“You think?”  
“Sure! Tell me, you’ve got a supersecret lycanthropy cure on the way is that right?”   
“You been spying on me sugar?”  
“Course not sweetcheeks, but a fella gotta have contacts you know.” Alex’s New Jersey accent was an assault to his ears and Severus exaggerated his shudder.   
“I’ll agree to know whatever if you promise to never, ever do that voice again.”  
“I’m open for bartering, love.” Alex held the dungeon door open for him and they swept in as a mismatched pair. 

Meanwhile, Lily stood peering up at the Gargoyle guardians face as she waited for the headmaster to bid her entrance. The tear tracks hadn’t even dried on her face when Nigel Furron, a first year from her own house came up to her practically vibrating with excitement to shove a note from Dumbledore into her hands. She had no idea what Professor Dumbledore wanted with her, but it wasn’t likely to be anything good, or even about her grades or surely it would have happened before now, her record always having been exemplary.   
Ten minutes later she knew exactly why she was there and had to employ all of Severus’ stupid meditation techniques to prevent her from exploding like an overactive volcano. 

“With all due respect Headmaster, I’m aware of the virtues of my house-mates but Severus is my friend. I know Slytherin house has a bad rep but Severus wouldn’t hurt a fly.” Unless it had round-glasses and a stupid sack of hair, she thought to herself privately, entertaining the idea of transfiguring and squishing James Potter. She hoped so desperately, if Dumbledore could hear it from her just how decent Severus was, from someone who really knew him, the good, the bad the brilliant and the prickly, then maybe he would change his mind. Lily liked to compare her friend to pane of shattered mirror glass when she was feeling particularly poetic, which, given her self-proclaimed status as a woman of action not a woman of words, was not particularly often. His edges were jagged, he was all around sharp but he was made of tiny dozens of shiny bits and when held just right would create a torrent of beautiful rainbows. 

Dumbledore shook his wizened old head, his mass of hair and beard moving with it, in a way that was both gross and mesmerizing. Lily ignored the sway of his beard hairs and tuned back into his bigoted spiel in disgust.   
“People like Mr. Snape-”  
“Prince.”

He ignored her interjection. “-Are really just a lost cause, drawn to the Dark Arts and crushing everyone else to get there.” He looked over her with half moon glasses.   
“Ms. Evans it really is in your best interests to move away from such dark influences while there is still time. Perhaps if you were to tell me…I’m sure Mr. Snapes behavior must frighten you sometimes, his temper is likely inherited no? It must be so draining, to be worrying when he will turn on you because of your blood status. And it will happen my dear, have no doubt. When his housemates offer him something you cannot give him, he will trod on you to get where he cannot.” 

Lily felt sick. Like he plucked all of her worst fears about Severus, when their friendship had been on the rocks and thrown them back in her face. She thought of Severus now, the boy who cried in her lap for hours after his mother died and when the man in front of her had shown not an ounce of compassion that he now claimed he was having for her. She thought of the boy, who diligently held all of her friends’ bags one after the other without complaint and gave them all equal compliments, softening over any self-esteem issues with a smooth tongue enough to make any girl feel powerful. She thought of the boy, who when she was nine and had cut her knee jumping off the tree her mother had told her not to, had lied and told Petunia it was his fault and dealt with her shrill beratements to stop Lily getting in trouble. He’d held her hand too and cleaned up her knee real good, singing to her all the way to make her giggle instead. She knew now in her heart that a little knee cut was nothing compared the pain Severus had faced in his own life, his home but he had never dismissed hers, not once. She remembered how, on her first period, he had looked just the faintest alarmed at her enraged pained tears before determinedly marching up and spending all of his savings on the largest box of chocolate Honeydukes could deliver the fastest. He was her best friend, her brother and he had so much more to him than what Dumbledore would ever see. He would never see Severus like that because he would never care enough to stretch his mind and think maybe, just maybe, House and Affinity didn’t mean shit. 

The rage was bubbling over now, her fists clenched and her hair raising like it did in a 1st year science experiment. So, Lily did what she did best. In an unknown situation, asked herself, WWSD. What would Severus do? The answer came to her and she rose fluidly to her feet.

“Perhaps you’re right Headmaster. If you’ll excuse me, I’d like to mull over your advice with some of Alice’s new tea.” She paired her diplomatic statement with her softest smile and made her escape. Goddamn Severus would be proud of her for that one. No. No he wouldn’t because they’d had a stupid fight. One that Dumbledore would see continued if he had his way. Well he wouldn’t as far as Lily was concerned. 

Things had gone so wrong for Severus and were now going so right. He had a fella-a damn cute one too, that bod tho-good grades, a mastery sponsorship and a bright, bright future ahead of him. Lily was going to see that future through, come hell or high water, and nobody, no meddling Headmaster or screwy Dark Lord was gonna fuck this up for her big brother. Lily would make sure of that. And now…to find and kick said brothers arse. Great. Easily done. Lily marched through Hogwarts walls with such a murder strut that first years of all houses became one with the portraits to get out of the way of the scary Gryffindor with the hair like fire that shone in tandem with eyes of raging anger.

Severus stirred again, keeping a close count in his head and was almost done, hoping Alex would return soon with the damned coffee. He had his hand open to sprinkle in the leaf when the lab door slammed open and he dropped the whole thing in with a strangled moan.   
“The absolute nerve of that man!” Lily yelled as she stormed in, throwing her bag to the wall with enough strength to make a beater cry. He waited patiently as she ranted, whirling her arms about like a windmill as she paced, guessing from context and the whole “Strangle him with his fucking beard and then we’ll see who’ll trod on who.” Thing that she was talking about their esteemed Headmaster. 

The similarities were so striking to the good Dark Lord in their midst that Severus was tempted to ask the man if he’d been by Cokeworth 16 years ago and had happened to drop a baby out of his pocket.   
“And do you know what he said to me, Sev, do you!?”  
“No but I guess you’re going to tell me.” He said calmly, banishing the cauldron to the sink and stripping off the new layers of protective dragonhide.   
“Damn right I’m going to tell you and oh Sev I’m so sorry, you were right and I really do feel awful for comparing you to your dorm-mates that’s not you at all and I do know that.”  
“Not completely right, I’m uh, I’m sorry too. And I guess I just held Lupins secret in so long because of the stupid vow it was hard to have any compassion when I was so damned frightened.”  
“Vow, what vow, for fucks Sev you stupid doorknuckle shouldn’t you have started with that part of the story?” She put her hands on her hips and glared at him sternly as he patted the seat beside him.

Severus took both hands in his and regaled the same tale as he had to Gaunt, feeling the weight ease off his chest a little more this time. It wasn’t so hard second time around. Lily was almost as angry as Gaunt but with less self-control, much to the dismay of the hexed cauldrons around the room. When she’d calmed down and drank some water, Lily turned to him, chest still heaving and said “Sev I-I think you could be right about him.”   
He blinked at her in shock as she continued “I mean, think about it, Remus is a werewolf in Hogwarts but he’s the only one right?”   
Severus nodded with a grimace. “Lord I hope so. There’s no way there’s enough room in that damn shack for two comfortably.”   
“And funny thing, like you’ve said to me a thousand times, the only werewolf Dumbledore saw fit to give a secret education to is in Gryffindor.”  
“Exactly.” Severus breathed. “Oh Lily you’re brilliant.” He hadn’t even put that together and it was yet only another example of his bias.   
“And! And…” she cried, all fired up now as she rifled through her bag, “In the other magical schools there’s no such restrictions. Ohoh man even vela get to go to Beauxbatons and they have a whole open community there!” She passed him the book she was citing from and Severus took note of the encouragement for all creatures to receive an education in Ilvermony, Durmstrang and Beauxbatons, as well as smaller magical schools all around the globe, including a particular one in the heart of Transylvania who hosted a Dracula Festival purely for comedic purposes. Severus put that down in his brain as a holiday destination and turned his attention back to a fretting Lily. 

“Oh Sev we have to do something, it breaks my heart to think of all those poor kids not being able to learn all the wonderful things we can just because of one stupid anti-creature ministry law.”   
“I know, look, I’m gonna get Professor Gaunt ok, he might be able to help-”  
“He himself might be able to help?” Lily narrowed her eyes and managed to stare him down from her position below him.   
“Him, not someone he knows?”  
Severus felt like he was walking into a trap, standing on a pile of leaves beneath a precariously balanced net.  
“Um yeee-es?”   
Lily plonked back down on her chair, her eyes as wide as saucers. That was all the confirmation she needed, already knowing the truth deep down. “OH, oh Merlin, oh God. Sev…Sev tell me it’s not true.”  
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Severus lied, hands clenched in his robes, please not this, not now, he couldn’t make this decision. He knew he would choose Lily every time, he knew, Gaunt knew it but it was the ramifications of that decision that Severus feared.   
“By Merlin he’s not just working for You-Know-Who he is You-Know-Who! Good God that’s madness, Sev how is he allowed to teach here, we have to tell someone, why is he even teaching here in the first place and not running a stupid evil empire of fashionless dingbats?”  
Severus took a deep breath. It was now or never.   
“Exactly Lily; why is he here? He hasn’t hurt anybody, you’ve seen he doesn’t discriminate against muggleborns, he just wants to prove Dumbledore’s not as god-like as everyone thinks he is!” 

“Amongst other things, yes.” Gaunt stood in the doorway, eyebrow raised at their little domestic dispute. “Though I thank you for those kind words of confidence, Severus. Truly inspiring lad.” He turned his attention to Lily, who, ever the Gryffindor, just raised her head to meet his eyes head on. 

“Can I help you, ‘Professor’?” she used title mockingly and Severus wanted to kill her and die simultaneously. Stupid girl.  
He smiled, amused by her guile. “I hope your vow of silence still stands Ms. Evans?”  
There was a terse silence as they waited for her answer. 

Finally, she sighed. “I suppose so. If only because I want to ace my defense Owl and because you’re actually not a bad teacher.”  
“Not the worst feedback to get I suppose.” He remarked dryly. “I am, I must admit, learning to enjoy teaching you snot-nosed brats how to properly hold your wands.”   
Lily actually rolled her eyes as Severus stared at the scene before him in utter bewilderment.   
“Gee thanks such faith you have. Now can we actually get back to the point here? Can you use supercalifragilistic dark lordly powers to boot out the biased moron and get us some damn equality up in here or what?”   
Gaunt looked up at them both through a dark fringe of neat hair. “Oh Ms. Evans, I intend to do that and so much more.”


	15. Chapter Fifteen

Chapter 15 

The door opened as Gaunt's smile widened. Alex popped his head around the door and pushed it open with his hip, his hands busy holding coffee cups.   
“So, babe, I have finally secured some thinking juice, we can get this party start-ohhh Merlin uh hi Professor did I miss something?” Alex looked around wearily, tucking his elbows in to prevent his stash of biscuits from slipping.   
“Nothing at all, just a quick progress checkup but Ms. Evans and I shall leave you both to it. If you’d like to come to my office tomorrow evening. And Severus?”  
Gaunt made firm eye contact before smiling at him so gently even Severus’ toes felt warm. “Very good work.”   
Gaunt nodded at them both seriously once more and Severus felt relief swipe through him as he rushed to his boyfriends’ side and found himself tucked under two strong arms. Alex continued his trip on the romance train and pressed a kiss to his boyfriends’ head and smiled into his hair.   
“I’ve got faith in you babe, you’ll get it.”   
As the other two left, Severus felt free to look up and actively gaze into Alex’s amused eyes.   
“Of course I will. What do u take me for? An ordinary dunderheaded idiot?”  
“Naww babe, there’s nothing ordinary about you.” He pressed a kiss to his lips and murmured against the soft flesh, “Makes you totally extraordinary. Lucky me.”   
Severus chuckled and pressed even closer as Alex’s arms tightened around him, the clock’s ticking fading desperately into the background.

24 hours later, Severus marched down the corridor, going over a game plan in his head. They were so close, they had a chance to take down a very corrupt system and if they screwed up there’s no way they would get a second chance.   
He wiped his sweaty palms on his trousers and rapped shortly on Gaunt's office door. He opened it when only silence met his knock and worry began to bloom in his chest. There must have been some strong muffling charms on the door because he found himself entering the middle of a high-risk whirlwind, curses and screeches reverberating through the room.  
“You are an insufferable child! When will you learn to listen to others for your own safety, you foolish, stupid girl!”  
“And maybe you should learn to control your temper!” Lily leaned right up into Gaunt's face, glaring at him in her fiercest attitude, hands firmly placed on her hips. 

“Everything alright in here?” he put out gently, floating to Lily’s side.   
“Your silly brat of a friend thinks it will be a simply marvelous idea to waltz back up to that office and convince him she’ll tell him all the evil Slytherin secrets and use that to trip him up into an investigation.” Gaunt bit out through gritted teeth. He may have been a dark lord but through his small tenure of teaching, he realized he had begun to care about these children. The thoughts of one of his brightest throwing it all away and endangering herself on the off chance it may help get rid of Dumbledore gave him heart palpitations.   
He turned his attention back to his ward and watched him blink and reel as he processed. 

Ms. Evans shrank back under his frankly thunderous glare and Marvolo felt a grain of satisfaction as the boys reaction was much the same as his own.   
“You mean spy on him?! Lily are you crazy? It’s way too dangerous. He’s senile and bigoted not stupid!” He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose as Lily glared at him venomously.  
“Look, I know this is your chance to prove you’ve got Gryffindor bravery or whatever but it’s not-”  
“I’m not doing it to be a Gryffindor, Severus, I’m doing it for you, because you’re my brother and I love you and the thought of him getting away with what he’s done makes my blood boil and yah maybe that’s a Gryffindor reaction but I don’t care. That’s what’ll give me the edge surely?! From Gryffindor to Gryffindor, he’s so blinded to the opinion of a ratty old hat that he doesn’t see past his bloody awful nose and it’ll make him trust far easier with less time and from all you’ve said, we don’t have time! So I’m going to do this and I won’t let you stop me Severus, I won’t!” She turned to Marvolo pleadingly, her green eyes wide and beseeching.   
“This has to be done, it has to.”  
“Children have no place in a war, Ms. Evans.”   
“Well it’s not exactly a war, now is it and if I do this there won’t be any need for one now will there? I can just stroll up and complain about Severus and he’ll eat it right up.” She took a deep breath. “You’re gonna help creatures, right? Like Remus?”   
“Indeed, child. And you are not as other muggleborns have before running screaming at the dark magic?”   
“I’m starting to think maybe I didn’t know as much I thought I did.” She admitted quietly, looking down at her polished Mary-Janes.   
“Bloodying bollocking hell why did it take endangering yourself like this to get you to listen to what I’ve been telling you for nearly 10 years?!”  
“Language Mr. Prince, 5 points from Slytherin”.   
“Yes sir, sorry sir.”  
Though he tried, Marvolo found himself unable to argue (for once in his life) and let out a massive sigh as his shoulders slumped.   
“Ms. Evans has made many a good point, and I reiterate my apologies for my earlier words. However, are you sure that you’ve thought this all the way through?” He fixed both shrinking teens with a stern glance. “Your time together will certainly have to be minimized though I will do my utmost to help with that. It will mean cutting off all ties with your Gryffindor friends.” He nodded at Severus, who swallowed anxiously.   
“No classwork together and far more down time spent solely in the company of your housemates Ms. Evans.”   
They both looked so morose he felt almost guilty as they reached for each other and gripped hands tighter than Hansel and Gretel in any storybook.   
“But look at it this way,” Lily offered fake cheerfully, “More time in my common room means I can convince Remus to test your cure when it’s done.”  
“If it gets done.”   
“It will, Sev. If anyone can do it you can.” Her nod was so sure it would have given an atheist faith and it made a smile grace the boys face as he pulled her into a hug. 

“You were definitely missorted Ms. Evans but no fear, I rather happen to know another young lady very much like you whom I’m sure will adore you. Now that that’s sorted.” He coughed softly when they pulled away. “Perhaps we can have some tea no?”   
Lily snorted. “Tea isn’t the solution to everything sir.”  
“Ah but that’s where you’re wrong Ms. Evans.” He chided softly as they pulled up chairs and helped themselves off the ever-present tea-tray.   
“I’ve had some of my best ideas over cups of tea.”  
“Must have been on the coffee when you thought of Dark Lording for a career then.” Severus muttered with a sly smirk, now unafraid Marvolo would throw a hex or harsh words his way.   
As it was, he only rolled his eyes and shoved extra slices of cake to sit squashed beside the few cucumber cheese sandwiches the boy had already selected for himself. 

By the time the curfew bell had rung, their plans were made for after the next Hogsmeade weekend, Lily had Bellatrix’s letter address clutched in her fist and the nervousness ceased as they agreed on a small measure of not so illegal things for Lily to spill to the headmaster. He had no way of verifying of course so would just have to take her words for truth which only some of them were. But nonetheless it would go a long to proving her sincerity and gaining his trust and once that was done, it wouldn’t take long for Lily to push him into saying just the wrong thing or using her wrongly in some way and once they got the board involved yet again they would have him. Even the great Albus Dumbledore couldn’t talk his way out of two major events in one school term. Marvolo allowed a small smirk of utter victory to grace his face. Nearly there. Just a little more time. 

Severus clutched Alex’s hand tighter in his own, unable to calm his beating heart. In a few hours Lily would be marching up to Dumbledore's office pretending they had had a massive fight and that’d be that they’d be estranged. Even though he’d seen her only minutes ago, Severus wanted nothing more than to reassure himself she was safe and sound. Lily was well able to handle herself, of that he had no doubt but yet there was no guarantee Dumbledore would buy it and if he didn’t, if he suspected for one second… Severus shuddered.  
Alex wrapped his cloak around his fella’s shoulders and squeezed his hands tighter. “I don’t know what you’ve got goin on-and don’t feed me a Mastery lie babe I ain’t thick-but I’ll help you where I can and I want you to know I’ll support you through anything.”   
“I don’t deserve you.” Severus murmured shuffling closer into his side and feeling a nudge of guilt squirm in his stomach. He wanted to desperately tell Alex everything, just cuddle in and spill his guts. It wasn’t safe, not just yet, even though his gut howled for him to do so, screaming that Alex was safe and trustworthy.   
“Not a matter of deserving babe, ‘fraid you’re stuck with me, coz this is my decision too. You don’t get to push me away without a decent chat and a musical number.”   
“A musical number?” Severus snorted, his shoulders jiggling as he giggled and swayed their hands back and forward.   
“Well sure Sevvy, a good ole ballad. Not even for me?”  
“Not a chance.” They strolled towards the Three Broomsticks at a sedated pace, clutching packages of books and sweets between them. 

They pushed opened the heavy door, beer and rowdy noise assaulted their senses as Severus winced. He saw Lily’s flash of red hair like a beacon in the darkened setting and opened his mouth to call out before he got a glimpse of her drinking partner. Dark rings of hair and violet lidded eyes sent a shiver down his spine and he bit his lip.   
“Nope. Nope not happening.” He pulled Alex over to a booth in the corner, rushing them so much they tumbled over the chair and landed on top of each other with an “Oomph”. Alex’s eyes gleamed with mischief as he pulled Severus down to meet him.   
“Alrighty then. Just you and me it is.”   
Severus felt heat coil in his stomach but the building tension was ruined when Alex waggled his eyebrows like a cartoon villain so utterly ridiculously it ruined any sort of mood. He burst into laughter, letting his head flop down onto the whiner keepers chest as they shuffled further into the booth. 

“Aw c’mon babe, if not for smexy times why are we ditching Lily? Cause of her really scary gal pal?”   
“Oh you see it too?”   
Alex gave an exaggerated shudder. “Ohh yeah. Wouldn’t want to meet her in darkened alley at night.”  
“That’s for sure.” Severus murmured, accepting the menus from a red-faced Madam Rosmerta with a thanks. They perused and later ordered with no fuss or many words, simply hushed observations about the people strolling by. Alex’s people watching never failed to amuse him and as his stories got more and more outlandish and Lily relaxed more in his peripheral vision, Severus found himself lost in the pleasure of a genuinely good date with even better company, that hopefully would be his to keep. 

He kissed Alex goodbye and gave Lily a subtle nod as the trio walked different directions whilst the rest of the school milled around before dinner. The anxiety was firmly placed back in his stomach, making it impossible for his hands to relax, even as they unlocked his little dungeon study room and let his fingers ghost over the many awaiting cauldrons.   
There was once a time a thirteen year old Severus had sat awestruck by the side of a preening Lucius Malfoy, listening as he told for all the room to hear of a world where soon the magic they yearned to practice would not be illegal, where room would be forcibly made for the squibs of broken hearted families, where muggles would be strictly separated and their offspring carefully monitored so no child would ever suffer what he had. Severus had been in awe of both these ideas and the man who Lucius claimed could lead them there. Severus believed in that future, believed in it with everything he had no matter its vicious clash with the cynicism the world beat into him. He had envied Lily, secretly, even to himself, for so long. Her parents so kind and supportive, their love so spare and tangible she spread it everywhere she went. Her righteousness that had made her stick by him in the first place had made him fear-correctly-that it would soon turn to stubbornness if she could not see the benefit in the future he craved. The little ministry pamphlets and speeches form Dumbledore only touched the crumb of a looming iceberg that was their world and left Lily, of all her smarts, practically ignorant of the culture and history of the world she now belonged to. She was one of the few that wished to straddle the line between worlds, unwilling to leave her loving family behind but unable to deprive herself of new world that so uniquely understood her. Sometimes Severus wanted to shake her and scream that not all families were like her and actually, hers was more likely an exception. One simply had to look at her sour sister to get a feel of muggles general reactions to mages. But the initial influx of muggleborns had been so stubborn, so scared of this new world, their insistence on changing it all, supported by the likes of Dumbledore, who feared what would usurp his power, they demanded away with the ‘pagan’ like rituals and insist room was made for Christmas and Easter instead. Now some older dark familiar were just racist and ignorant and so stupid it made Severus mad, but some had a point. Wanting to integrate into their culture, so these children would not feel lost or scared but informed and welcome. But if that was allowed, many more miserable children who thought themselves failures at magic would flourish due to a varied curriculum, reveling in the ability to use Light Dark or Grey magic to succeed in their OWLs and NEWTs. The thought excited him, truly it did but they needed Lily to succeed first and find something to use against the headmaster before anything could surely take root. 

Severus dumped his ingredients on the table and sighed, resting his head on his hands and staring up at the clock. Merlin let Lily be ok. 

Lily pinched her thigh again and let fresh tears flow down her face as she let the gargoyle take her up the old stone stairs. She could do this. She would. She had to. For Severus and for the future of the world she now called home, Lily would do this. And once Lily Evans had put her mind to something it would be done. Albus Dumbledore, cheerfully sucking on a lemon drop in glee, should have been afraid. Very, very afraid.


	16. Chapter Sixteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The shit gets real, ie there is actual plot folks, yikes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So now we have plot, if anyone would care to let me know what they think, I'd be much obliged :)

Chp16

Severus paced back and forward around the dungeon, the possible werewolf cure bubbling to the side, the exact shade and texture it should be. This would be widely considered a rare and phenomenal feat and yet he felt none of the pride he should, all of it lost to the tidal waves of worry at the absence of Lily. She was there in Dumblefucks office doing Merlin knows what to get him to fall for their game. His hair, though still only flowing around his ears was greasy and lanky from his continuous running of hands through his scalp. His protective robes and gloves were thrown to the side, crumpled in a heap on the floor and forgotten as he nibbled on his lips and huffed out constraining breaths. He inhaled as deeply as he could, the oxygen hitched in his chest and not quite releasing the calm endorphins that he so desperately needed. 

This was all his fault, he should be the one up there lying and winding tales for Dumbledore to swallow, not Lily. Lily who was so Gryffindor and brash she couldn’t even lie to her own mother. If he had just kept his mouth shut and solely directed his anger towards the Marauders and maybe not the Headmaster, none of this would have happened. Then again, a small voice in his head mused, was this not what he had always wanted? For Lily to see Dumbledore for what he truly is? A lying manipulative bigot. He had wanted her to see their side of the story for so long, that now he’d gotten what he wanted he wished for nothing more than to take it back. Severus would rather Lily be blind to this than willingly endanger herself. But that was the catch wasn’t it. It wasn’t his choice; it was hers and he was in certainly no position to tell her to do otherwise. He had to place as much faith in her as she had in him. Still that didn’t make him any less nervous as he monitored his cure with a scientist’s gaze.  
The clocks ticking was too loud in his ears and, after a few minutes of staring blindly he blinked and let his head fall onto the bench. The door opened behind him, the hinges creaking in his ears and he whirled around in fright, wand already glowing in his hand. 

The dark lord put his hands up in amusement but then let a frown etch on his face as he surveyed Severus’ crumpled form.  
“She’ll be alright little snake.” He said softly, knowing immediately what the tortured look on the young face was for.  
“But what if she’s not?” Severus whispered, his earlier conviction crumbling as he took a weary step forward, looking up at his professor with tired eyes. Gaunt hesitated for only a second, to wave goodbye to any Dark Lord image in Severus’ eyes, before he opened his arms and bundled the slender lad into them, squeezing ribs and too thin shoulder blades.  
“If he doesn’t buy what she’s saying today that won’t matter, he’ll profess disappointment in that way that makes me want to punch his balls in and take points and dismiss her. It’s later on if this works that we can worry, but only then, do you hear me?” He held Severus’ face in his hands and ensured the boy took his admonishment seriously.  
“Yessir.” Severus murmured though he still did not look entirely unconvinced. He stepped away and let Severus stir his thickening potion, the rest of the workbench a cacophony of strewn notes and wasted ingredients. Gaunt sighed heavily.  
“I do not like this anymore than you do. War is ugly when children must fight and yet her deceit is a necessary evil. It is one of those rare times where I appreciate the sheer Gryffindor bravery that somehow keeps them ticking.”

Severus shrugged and let his lips twitch up tiredly. “The first casualty when war comes is truth.” he murmured in response.  
“It might be the only way, legally speaking, but, for what it’s worth, you have my sincere apologies for the difficulty you and Miss Evans will find yourselves in.”  
“The difficulty is nothing new sir, you know that. I knew, from that first moment on the train, the first time they coined me Snivellus because I cried when they destroyed my homework and with it the first and last letter my mother had ever sent to me, that it would be difficult so I decided, hey, why not make it difficult for them too.” Severus began to pace, waving his arms and letting his tears flow as his chest heaved with the cathartic release of so much of his pain.  
“But it got worse and worse and worse and Lily, Lily was in Gryffindor surrounded by their idiocy all day and I was afraid for so long, to mention any dark even grey spell I just couldn’t bring myself to do it in front of her and I thought-I had thought that she wasn’t aware of the issues with my dorm mates and how much more difficult her blood status made it. Lily’s powerful, so much more powerful than she even realizes and if she’d push, even just a little I know she could do great things.”  
“And you would be behind her every step of the way.” Gaunt mused quietly, assessing Severus with new, battle weary eyes.  
“Always my lord. I-I apologize for not replying to your invitation to your ranks but I-I couldn’t-can’t-won’t leave her. I want so badly to restore our society and mold the changes in it but I can’t do the raids that they do I couldn’t kill an innocent muggle and not think somewhere, at home, they’ve got a daughter like Lily and-and just-”

“Who said anything about killing muggles?”  
“It’s in the news, my lord, about the raids, all the time.” Severus stared at the man like he was crazy. Did he think Severus stupid or ignorant?  
Gaunt hissed, sounding much like an offended cat. “I have not authorized any raids on muggle towns or cities. The…lobbying over the last years maybe, when I returned to England but I have not-raids, you say? Actual murders in my name?”  
Severus felt a forbidding feeling rise in his stomach. If assuming the title of Dark Lord wasn’t a flashy showy thing for raids and violence and inciting the masses, then who was doing just that, if not the man supposedly in control of these Death Eaters? Severus felt horrifically guilty for even assuming the man he had come to know was responsible even if the literary evidence pointed to the contrary.  
“Maybe-” he broached carefully “-Some fools think they’re to try please you sir; I mean the things some of my own year say… it sounds an awful lot like the acts we all see in the paper. Everyone looks at them sneering at mudbloods and muggles and assumes that we’re all like them, murders and rapists and thieves and it infuriates me, we could do so much with a proper chance with some proper bills for change and- oh oh Merlin m’lord I’m sorry I didn’t mean I-” Severus cut himself off mid-rant as he felt himself going paler.

The man was quiet for a good long minute, staring into the cauldron, his eyes now a magma red as he scrapped for his self-control. It wouldn’t do to endanger both Severus and himself as well as the whole school but it was more difficult than it seemed. He clenched his fists and inhaled. Just who thought they could execute such orders on his behalf? He had made it clear when their ways of protesting had gone too far, that the way of intimidation and fear wouldn’t work.  
“Don’t apologize, child, I happen to agree with every word you’ve just said Severus. And when I find out which sorry fool decided he could direct my forces where he pleases, there will be hell to pay.”  
“Very good my lord.” Severus reached out a hand, as though to touch his elbow before sensing the storm within the man and letting his shaking arm drop.  
He paced furiously, his actions now mirroring Severus’ earlier ones. “Does Bellatrix know about this?”  
“Not to my knowledge my lord. She is only ever briefly pictured in the ones against the ministry.”  
“Yes yes, those I had authorized. I doubt she would ever disobey me so directly. But what I do want to know is how it was done, seen and reported to the paper under my nose with me none the wiser.”

Severus nodded slowly and uncertainly now regretting he hadn’t paid more attention to each snippet in the Daily Prophet. For that’s all it was, over dramatized snippets detailing how only small teams of black cloaked mages had shown up to quiet muggle villages on the coast and caused utter mayhem and havoc, ending in grief for both the Ministry and the towns citizens. It never did vary much, the cowards obviously not having the courage to attack wizarding places where their lord might notice or towns with populations of more than a thousand muggles. Severus voiced this when the man said nothing for a long few moments that the potioneer used to bottle and label his hopeful brew.

“Indeed? Why thank you Severus. Very insightful, my lad.” He gritted his teeth in hatred of this massive oversight and spoke again with a reassuring pat on the boys shoulder.  
“You’ve done very well on this potion and as a whole, and I’ve no doubt Lily will convince Mr. Lupin to try it out. He owes you after all.”  
“I hope so sir.” He hesitated. “Sir, are you going to be alright?”  
“Oh yes I am. But someone else, however, will not be.” The Dark Lords eyes darkened, and he ruffled Severus’ hair before speaking once more still in that faux cheery tone.  
“Suffice to say, class is cancelled tomorrow. Do study well won’t you? I’ll be back soon.”  
He was leaving? Severus swallowed past the lump that had appeared in his throat and mustered up a shaking. “Good Luck sir.” before the man was gone in a flurry of black robes, out the nearest window. 

Severus stared after him for what seemed like hours before turning back to finally write up the report on his finished potion. He couldn’t even dredge up any excitement, worry now over the both of them firmly filling up any emotional capacity he had. Much to his shock, there on his workbench lay a locket, gold and burnished in colour with a green ‘S’ inlaid with gems to give the illusion of the curve of a snake. Severus gave a snort as he picked it up. It was so on-brand for the man it wasn’t even funny. The small parchment it weighed down caught his attention and it made him smile to read the words  
“If you should need me.” written upon it. 

Dumbledore passed Lily another tissue as she used it to poke her eye and reignite her tears.  
“Oh, I miss him so much, he’s never been like this and I really don’t know what’s changed but I just can’t take it anymore.”  
Lily thought she was rather convincing, and it appeared she was right as Dumbledore tried to hide his glee with some fake sadness and answered  
“I’m so sorry my dear but I’m sure there is hope for your friendship yet. If only, well no I couldn’t ask it of you…” 

“Couldn’t ask me to do what sir? I want him to see the light so badly sir, surely you of all people must have some idea!” She batted her eyelashes and bam he was down. She hid her smirk behind her tissue and took a calming deep breath. One sentence at a time.

“I’m sure if you tell him you forgive him then maybe you can steer him back from the darkness.”  
“Oh, Headmaster do you really think it’ll be enough?”  
He peered over half-moon glasses, as she sniffed and dabbed her ‘tears’.  
“Sadly, Miss Evans I do not think so, my dear girl, but this way maybe you will be close enough to…intervene otherwise no?”  
“You mean…like spy on him? Oh, I couldn’t possibly, he’s my friend!”

“After the cruel words he said to you today, are you still certain of that? Look at the man he’s becoming child. His mother would not want that for him. And it’s nothing like spying, goodness no, such a foul term.” He soothed.  
“You’re a smart girl Ms. Evans, you know if we can get proof from some of the dangerous men that are the ringleaders of their little group, proof that their parents can’t wave away we can put them in Azkaban.”

Rage the like of nothing she’d ever felt before coursed through Lily. Dumbledore, the man she’d idolized and trusted and looked up to, the headmaster of their school, duty bound to guide and protect the children of said school was planning to throw them in Azkaban, in hell on earth because they were parroting their mistaken parents words that they’d been fed their whole lives. Now Lily wasn’t naïve and certainly not as naïve as Severus hopefully assumed she was and she knew damn well that some of those Slytherins were just cruel and were just bullies much like Potter and his ilk and yet, she also knew deep in her heart that many of them were doing exactly what she would have done. Rebelling against the oppression of a very large part of themselves, their instinctive magic outlawed and banned and it infuriated her. Lily couldn’t place the blame solely on them after all, rebellion was in every teenager’s nature. It was just such a pity for the headmaster that this rebellion was over something a little more serious than homework or uniforms. So, she wised up, cleared her mind and met his gaze.  
She channelled all her mental strength to summon images of Severus; his head bent over books too big for his thin hands, the bruises on his shoulders and the gleam in his eye when a successful hex caught the Marauders off guard and tinged it with a worry already always present. Dumbledore may be a chess master but her Severus…. her Severus was going to burn the damned board.


	17. Chapter Seventeen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little bit from everybody's pov. Pov changes with ----------

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone, sorry about the wait, hope every is keeping safe and enjoys the chapter.

Chp17

Severus stretched out further onto Alex’s chest as the broader boy chuckled and combed a hand through his hair.   
“Whaddya think eh?” Alex waved a hand around the room that’d he’d made materialize from a wall ‘by magic’ like he’d hand decorated it.   
Severus hummed and buried deeper into his chest. “Hmhmm.”   
“You sleepy babe?”  
“Hmhmm.”  
“You want dinner soon?”  
“Mmm.”   
He dimly heard Alex laugh.   
“So I can copy your homework then?”  
Severus shot bold upright. “No you can not!”  
“Thought that’d get your attention.” The keeper teased, brushing a strand of hair away from Severus’ face and letting his hand linger over Severus’ cheekbones.   
“M’ sorry.” Severus ducked his head sheepishly. “You brought us here-wherever here is-to celebrate and I’m falling asleep on you.”   
Alex kissed him slowly. “No bother, Severus love, you sleep if you’re tired but maybe dinner first yeah? We trained for hours in the lashings of rain because our new chaser is shite and I kicked so much ass I’m now so starving I’d nearly eat you.”   
Severus scoffed and fluttered his lashes, smirking with the hint of a challenge flickering through his dark eyes.   
He leaned forward, let his lips just brush Alex’s ear before whispering. “Come get me then.”  
He leapt off the rudimentary hammock and abandoned his shoes and socks as he fled from his pursuing boyfriend who lazily chased him around the mysterious room.

Alex looked around in confusion when Severus had darted behind a corner and now was most definitely not around said corner. I mean invisibility was cool but how? He meandered around slowly, feet padding on the soft rug that had appeared with this utter joy of a room that was a new date location from now till the end of time.   
“Um Sev, where- AHH jesus!”  
Severus leapt from somewhere and landed on his back with an oomph and Alex automatically shifted his weight to account for the small mass that was his boyfriend. Severus pressed a kiss to his neck and murmured.   
“Gotcha.” It was easy enough for Alex to shift his weight and use the slightly off momentum to swing Severus around and bring them face to face.   
He squeezed the Slytherins thighs as he purred, “You most certainly did. Little magpie can’t hold off from the treasure.”

Severus laughed against Alex’s lips. “How very presumptuous of you.”   
Whilst their lips were otherwise engaged Alex clicked his fingers to summon up the meal he’d pleaded off the house-elves earlier. The arrival of food didn’t disturb them until minutes later when the steaming dishes finally caught Severus’ attention.  
The quiet adoration that rested in his chest stirred up and remained that way for the rest of the night as they shared words and kisses over delicious food and the fancy kind of non-alcoholic wine cooler that Severus would forever deny to be his favourite. 

\---------------------------------------------------------------------  
Lily wiped her brow as she stumbled down the curving steps. Panic clenched her heart and stuttered her breathing. This wasn’t working, Dumbledore was holding his damn kind image and if he called her his dear girl again in that tone she was going to vomit in his beard. This was it, she was who this plan relied on and if she failed-she couldn’t it wasn’t an option but as she sat there in the path of a harsh spring wind Lily really and truly didn’t know what to do. She had thought it’d be done by now, that the façade would surely crack but they’d underestimated the wiliness of the old man. It was time to push things forward. Lily grabbed her bag and rooted around until her hands closed around the little red two-way journal she’d recently…acquired. Her hesitance didn’t stop her and by the time she’d scribbled her note and read the reply, her hands had finally stopped shaking. A brush of her robes, a tilt of her head and a smoothening of her hair and Lily was ready. She straightened her back and readied her thoughts full of ‘Murder’ and walked, scrawny first-years nearly leaping out windows to avoid her determined stride. 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
“Perhaps, Fletchley, I didn’t make myself clear.” Marvolo hissed, slashing his wand as the man in front of him screamed again while his comrades trembled in terror.  
“I d-don’t know my lord, I swear-I swear I don’t know! Please.” The whimpering was starting to give him a headache and it had been so long since he’d really been so brutal with any of his followers, much preferring to remain diplomatic nowadays. But this… these raids had nearly cost him his whole cause, forever dirtying the name of Dark families and what they stood for.   
“Perhaps if Fletchleys…whimpering has jogged your thoughts, one of you might like to volunteer the name of the person under whose authority you slaughtered innocent people and made a spectacle of our cause?”  
There was a set of low mutterings in the negative as each of the men and women in front of him denied it, clearly thinking him a fool. He sighed. Clearly, he was better off without these morons if they hadn’t even put the obvious together.   
“Very well then. Let me give you a clue. Look around, say hello, wave to your fellow idiots and maybe one of you will finally, finally cobble together a reason in your sludgy minds as to why it is only you lot of all my followers I have called here.” He sneered. “And it’s not because you’re special.”

He saw it begin to dawn on the brighter few and wondered why they’d even bothered lying to him in the first place. He’d visited each and every location of a supposed Death Eater attack and had become familiar with the signature of each mage before him, such was the nature of the Dark Mark. Their magical signature had hung in the air even then, it’s stench a long clue as to the nature of these attacks. If it had truly been some of his best Death Eaters out on a little jaunt, they would have hidden their signatures but given these fools had left it lingering in the ashes and corpses of their victims meant those certain wizards were chosen for the job specifically, hired deliberately if you will. And once Marvolo found out who it was, he was going to tear them limb from limb and never ever stop reading a newspaper just because it was mostly trash propaganda ever again. He, unlike some people, could learn from his mistakes.   
He exhaled lightly and tapped his wand against his thigh as they flinched. The sweat in the room was palatable as Marvolo avoided wrinkling his nose. Soon. Soon one of them would crack.   
“Please, my lord, please forgive us.” 

Ah. Here we go. Marvolo stood and rolled his head to stretch out his neck and in one swift movement launched a kick at Averys begging mouth.   
“Enough!” He hauled the man up by the hair and raided his mind with the sort of brutality every polite ligilimens chose to avoid. The boring details of Avery’s life rushed by in a blur, including the more unsavory parts that Marvolo had absolutely no desire to see until an interaction of the most peculiar kind caught his eye.   
“That man, in the pub, who was he?” He demanded, shaking him roughly though Avery deigned to answer but in droves of salvia as his eyes rolled back into his head.   
“Useless.” Marvolo muttered dropping the man like a sack of rotten potatoes and prowling amongst the dreading followers still remaining upright and not collapsed in fear.  
“W-we never saw his face my lord but-”  
“Well spit it out Mucliber unless you’d like to spit out your tongue instead!” Marvolo’s eyes were flashing vivid red as Mucliber whimpered, tongue flapping in his panic. 

“I-I knew his voice but I didn’t-” Marvolo had no more time for excuses and dove into his mind with startling accuracy, now he knew what he was looking for.   
The moment he heard the man talk, heard his croaky voice plant the idea into their gullible stupid heads, greedy and slow with firewhiskey as a veil, Marvolo felt rage spit up in him, like a child’s slowly brewing temper tantrum. Of course, Dumbledore would get Doge to do his dirty work, he would never risk being caught inciting violence himself.   
His own rage only tripled as he realized how close Doge had been to his child, how close the old wrinkle-bastard had come to ruining Severus’ life and getting him expelled. Marvolo was all for doing things by the book these days but well…if he scribbled a little appendices relevant for personal revenge in the Ministry’s constitution in invisible ink nobody would notice.   
Mind made up and wand in hand, Marvolo dropped all the traitorous fools in front of him right into Madam Bones’ office. He was sure she would appreciate the anonymous donation wrapped in a bow. Literally. A bright pink double knotted bow. Just for effect. 

He strolled from the bloodied meeting room, ambling down the corridors without the weight of impersonating fools on his shoulders. Given that it was nearing late evening and his house-elves would become near homicidal if he didn’t show up for dinner, he spent only a moment peeking into the room he had designated for Severus. It was only in case of emergency evacuation of course, he told himself, though that still didn’t explain why he had decided to listen to the impulse and go ahead to decorate the room in shades of green and grey and personalize the wallpaper and ceiling projections full of constellations that corresponded with their current position in the sky. And make the bed large enough for three in case sleepovers were still a thing that teenagers did. Why he’d done it, he didn’t know. No explanation at all. Simply unfathomable…  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
While Marvolo sipped wine and threw daggers at the already existing holes in his walls, Lily paced the floor anxiously, glancing towards the borrowed fireplace in Ravenclaw tower. Any minute now the fire would glow green and she could finally wrestle a semblance of a plan into place. A small hiss made her jump and whirl around, wand in hand and ready to fire any of the nastier curses in her new repertoire. 

“Calm down there sugar, you always so high strung?” A curly mass of hair greeted her in the fireplace and Lily dropped to her knees. 

“Hi Bella.” Her voice wobbled despite her best efforts and Bellatrix’s face lost its smirk to fierce concern. 

“Whats wrong baby-girl?” 

“I don’t know if I can do this.” Lily whispered into the empty night, the words feeling sour and blasphemous on her tongue. 

“That’s perfectly ok sweetheart.” Bella answered gently. “If you don’t want to, you don’t have to, we can stop right now.”  
Lily sniffed, wiping her tears with her sleeve. “R-really? But I thought you would want me to…because of the professor.”

“I’d follow my lord into hell without a second thought but I am first and foremost a big sister and from one older sibling to another I know Severus would find very creative ways to end me if I even thought about steering you wrong. So c’mon Lily honey, talk me though what’s goin on in that ginger head of yours eh?”

“He’s not budging Bella, not even a little. I’ve tried every possible way to get him on the wrong side of angry but…I think-I think it might be time for Plan R. Or else I really don’t know what to do.”   
Lily could see the hesitation etched in Bella’s face. “Plan R is a very different plan than giving up, Evans are you sure you want to do this? Once I spread those whispers it really won’t be long till he calls you and if you’re not prepared…”

“I am. I have to be. I can’t just give up.”  
“There’s no shame in giving up Lily.”  
“Severus would never give up on me, I know it. And its only right I do the same.”  
Bellatrix rolled her violet eyes, the action making the green embers spit uselessly onto the worn carpet. “Bloody Gryffindors. Alright then, but only if you’re sure.”  
“I am.” Lily nodded, her faith renewed.   
“Show me your switching spell again. If his habits involve potion-dosing like we think, you need to get that one down and get Severus to consolidate your Occlumency stat.”

Lily grimaced as she cast the wandless spell obediently. “I’m shite at Occlumency Bella, you know that.”  
“Then get good sugarplum, you’re gonna need it. Write me if you need me ok? But I think it’s well time for little lions to go to bed because I have some rumors to spread that’ll rile that ol’ man juuuustt right.” The grin on her face was nothing short of evil and Lily found herself glad she would never face the older woman on a battlefield because her hair alone was enough of a weapon nevermind her wand or words.

The trap had been set, the bait had been laid and now all they had to do was wait until Dumbledore blundered right in like they hoped. And Lily also had hope that Severus wouldn’t kill her when he found out exactly what this plan entailed. That hope was definitely not as high, she thought as she slipped past her sleeping dormmates and burrowed her freezing cold feet into the duvet.   
Oh well, he could yell at her after she got their Headmaster arrested. Now if only Hogwarts had a yearbook, wouldn’t that be an achievement for the records…


	18. Chapter Eighteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's going down big time here...We're in the endgame now ;)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone, thanks for reading hoping everyone is keeping safe. Enjoy the chapter let me know what you think!

Chapter 18

"Please don't freak out!" Lily pleaded quickly as Severus froze in prime 'freak-out position'-hands up, mouth open to yell and face pale white in rage and terror.

"I'm cool, I'm cool, not freaking out. Ok." He took one large deep breath and said calmly "Lily this is a fucking awful plan please don't do this!"

"It's not I've got it under control."

"Under control?! Lily there is no possible way in the fucking heavens you could-"

"Perhaps if you were to let her speak?" Gaunt interrupted politely, for all the world sounding like he wasn't having a heart attack at the thought of one of his students using herself as bait and slowly wiped his palms on his trousers.

"Have a little faith in her, as she does you little snake." He reprimanded gently, unhappy to see the boy look so chastised as his frown crevassed into his face, looking as though it would be etched there through the decades.

"I do Lily but oh Merlin, I really don't want to see you get hurt."

"I know. That's why I love you, you great big dolt." She sniffed and rubbed her face before launching into his arms as he buried his face in her puffed hair. Marvolo looked away to give them their privacy and refocused on his correcting, ie-the student projects littering his desk including Severus' and Lily's.

"Perhaps if I may offer some reassurance. I've come across the handiest little protection bracelets…"

He dangled their projects in the air and they laughed, accepting their 'Outstanding' grade with grace and two bows in unison.

"Take pride in the fact that your combined magic will look after you. Your charms and runes are very elegantly executed."

Lily slipped a bracelet on her wrist and pressed her hand into Severus'.

"Be ready ok? I'll press the alarm on the bracelet, and you be ready yeah?"

"Sure." Severus murmured, nodded his head in quick succession.

The time ticked down, the clock hands on the wall drawing nearer and nearer to Lily's four o clock meeting with the headmaster. Bella's rumors, centered on Severus specifically, had spread faster than wildfire and Lily had received a summons not hours after yesterday's HogsHeads dinner rush.

"I think I'm gonna throw up." Lily announced rising from her chair and beginning to pace.

"Oh Merlin please don't." Severus clutched his teacup tighter, allowing his white knuckles to be his only sign of distress.

At the five-minute mark Lily inhaled and gathered up the rest of her courage. "I'll see you later boys."

"Goodbye Ms. Evans. The Gods be with you." Marvolo rose and gave her a bow at a full ninety-degree angle to signal his level of respect for this girls bravery. He placed his hand on Severus' shoulder and said

"Why don't you spend some time with Mr. Dalessandro before dinner no?"

"Yessir." The young boy sniffed and leaned into Marvolos arm when he offered it. He shooed Severus down the corridor and sighed as he looked in the direction of the Headmasters office with his stomach in a knot.

Lily folded her hands in her skirt and then her ankles behind one another in a nervous rhythm as the Headmasters gaze bored into her. She knew this time for sure she wasn't the only one feeling the tension in the room.

"And even on your prefect rounds?" He pressed, "Nothing?"

And …Action. Lily wet her lip in hesitation, waiting just a second too long until she saw the twinkle in Dumbledore's too-blue eyes glint in sheer rage. Perfect. Her hands were shaking under the skirts' pleats as the room was filled with a heavy magical aura that made it perfectly clear how Dumbledore had defeated Grindelwald.

"No sir."

Waiting for him to act on his clear annoyance was the hardest thing Lily ever thought she'd had to do. She knew the bait had been snagged the second he rose from his chair in a flurry of gawdy purple and yellow robes to fetch the tea instead of summoning it the way most magic-dependent purebloods did and the way he had every other week.

Panic rose like a rough seas tide in her throat as he began to stir with his back to her. God knows what he had slipped into her cup, she hadn't planned for this. What if it was a spell or potion she wouldn't be able to switch with her narrow repertoire of wandless spells? What if it was a compulsion tied to the cup itself? Before she lost all sense, Lily took a deep breath and listened to the part of her that her new Slytherin acquaintances were influencing. She could do this, there was no way a creepy old man was going to get one up on Lily Evans.

As he carried over the tray she rushed to help. "Oh here Headmaster, you musn't-oh do let me-"

"Oh nonsense my dear, I'm quite able yet." That was a much of a threat as an Avada Kedavra and his resounding chuckle sent shivers all the way down her rigid spine as she smiled weakly in response.

"Of course sir. You'd have to be to get up these stairs every day. Tiring ammiright?" Her joke didn't seem to land as he ushered a fine china cup towards her. She thanked him gracefully and repeating the plan to herself, let out a loud gasp.

"Oh Fawkes, Headmaster is he alright?" The bird, bless it's soul, gave a loud trill at just that moment and attracted the mans attention long enough for Lily to scrape her new bracelet of the edge of her cup before a wandless switching spell had the two cups switched almost seamlessly.

"He really is the most fascinating bird sir!" She preened, glancing down to see the red glow signaling tampering magic on the designated bracelet bead.

"Quite, quite." Dumbledore agreed before taking a long sip of tea with his hand firmly clasped around the cup as she did the same. "It took of lot of bribery to convince him to stay with me of course, but one must uphold an image as I'm sure you know Ms. Evans."

He…bound Fawkes illegally to keep up an image of being good and benevolent. What the fuck? It must have been one strong truth compulsion on that cup and it would make Lily wake up in a cold sweat years later to think what information she would have mindlessly spilled.

"Why would you say something like that sir?" She cried 'shocked.' Playing her role for just a moment longer.

"I have no idea." He frowned, puzzled. "Perhaps the compulsion is on both cups. No matter-"

She had what she needed but Lily couldn't resist, she had to know, know her family hadn't been nearly torn apart for no reason. She would get her answers.

"Why do u care so much about what Severus does sir?"

"A poor halfblood from a household like that…" Dumbledore shook his head, a delighted smile on his face.

"Why he couldn't be a better candidate for future redemption if I had written the formula myself. All he needed was a little push and he'll be all too willing to damn himself."

"But he hasn't done anything wrong, if you-you knew about his father why didn't you do anything, why wouldn't you help him?"

"Of course, I knew dear girl, but why should I, more opportunity for a necessary ah, redemption tale later, those sort of children always end up the same anyway. I'm sure he'll come crawling back the Light eventually, especially with you onside Ms. Evans." He had a faux-knowing sort of twinkle in his eye as he chuckled, and Lily wanted to gut him with the fancy quill laying across the desk.

"But Sev's just a kid, he's innocent of any sort of crime how could you-" Her rage was nearly blinding and she thought maybe she'd be the one going to Azkaban when he just kept fucking talking like they were casually talking about the weather not him screwing over several people's lives.

"That's no worry my dear, if something must be arranged for the Aurors to find, it'll be easy as pie after all. A Slytherin child with muggle drunk for a father gone dark, why nobody will blink an eye."

"Of course. Why would they." She asked bitterly, more to herself than the crazy lunatic in front of her and nearly leapt out of her skin when he replied.

"Ah that was a very clever move on my part I do say. A little word here and there to the right people, asking dear Elphias to arrange a certain pavlava in those villages, it really did do a great deal for the Light's power base and I'm sure Tom was far too preoccupied with his new 'teaching position' to notice."

Lily had to leave before she stabbed him right then and there. All those poor muggles, countless lives lost, a discrimination barrier pushed to gaping in their world all because this man couldn't handle losing just a little of his powerbase and fame to more qualified families with different policies?

"As you say sir, do excuse me, uhhh ladies room emergency." She grabbed her bag and fled, running faster then she ever had in her life, tears blinding her as she groped for the doorhandle to Professor Gaunt's office. She didn't even remember making it down the stairs and wondered if she'd left her heart on the floor somewhere if someone would like to return it any time now please and thank you. She burst into the room, a class full of duelling third-years freezing to stare at her gasping like a madwoman. One of her Gryffindors who she regularly helped with homework nearly waved before his Slytherin dueling partner took her shot and knocked him out cold with a stunner to the temple.

"Pre-fect em-emergency." She panted, looking at Gaunt who revived the embarrassed student with a thoughtless wave of his hand.

"Very well then. Seeing as there is only minutes of class left, you're dismissed with the reminder that your final year assessment essays are due on my desk Monday!" He rose his voice over the bustling crowd as Lily collapsed against his desk and let the tears flow down her cheeks.

The door slammed shut and she whirled around in rage, kicking his desk again and again as she ranted.

"He's lost his fucking mind! We need to go to the Ministry! The national guard, the British government, The Queen, Mycroft Holmes, hell fucking NASA for all I care but Jesus we have to do something before I kill him dead."

"As much as I would like Dumbledore-who is I assume the person we're talking about, ok good,-dead I doubt NASA will help. So how about the Aurors for now?"

"But he's got people onside! He said so and something about an Elphias-which is a damn stupid name but who knows whose working for him."

"Oh you trust me darlin' Elphias Doge won't be an issue for anyone ever again." Marvolo murmured darkly before blinking and belying her with an innocent smile.

"Do you do something Dark Lordy over the weekend by any chance Professor?" Lily raised her eyebrow and put her hands on her hips to glare at him teasingly, that information secretly reassuring her.

"Hush. Do you want to tell me exactly what happened? We need some hard evidence, so breathe and remember best you can."

"Well he bloody interrogated me is what happened and tried to drug me but I switched the cups-"

She stopped herself short and gasped, dread curdling like milk in her stomach. "I forgot to take the cup, oh god sir I'm so sorry I forgot the cup I've ruined everything. My memory won't be enough will it?"

He paused only a moment and confessed, "Ordinarily I would say so without a doubt and it will be used as evidence, however there is a possibility…they may discount your memory alone on your stellar charms reputation. It's unlikely they'll believe him that a student could doctor a memory quite so well, but we want as water-tight a testimony as possible. You've been very brave Ms. Evans, you've done quite enough, I can take it from here."

"We need something physical." Lily reasoned, tightening her ponytail. "We need that cup or-or the vial or something."

"Ms. Evans…"

"I've come this far and I will not let you stop me! Not now." He only sighed and placed a warm hand on her shoulder.

"As you wish. Perhaps you want to tell Severus the good news? And I'll find a way to get into his office when he's otherwise occupied."

"I might be able to help with that." Alex spoke up from the doorway, not looking fazed by having two wands pointed at his face as he twirled a piece of parchment in his hands.

"Alex, Alex wait up where did you-oh."

Severus skidded to halt and studied the situation with sad eyes turning around with utter grief in his eyes, mentally preparing himself to lose his boyfriend.

"Alex I-"

"Relax Sev, I've got it covered babe." He pressed a kiss to Severus temple and used their entangled hands to drag him further into the room.

"Sorry for eavesdropping by the way; the nifty wards made me nosy and Sev was with me so I knew Lily was probably spilling some juicy gossip." He winked towards the redhead in question and sashayed over to Gaunt, holding out the paper for him to take.

"You might have better luck with the tunnels on this thing, being the Heir of Slytherin with mighty dark lordy powers and all."

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Gaunt denied immediately as Alex rolled his eyes when Lily and Severus flinched.

Alex blinked. "I mean…was it supposed to be a secret? Coz we've had bets running in the Ravenclaw tower-amongst the smartest of us anyway-about how you're gonna off the Headmaster. Spork and dessert spoon are tied right now." He continued conversationally as though this wasn't the strangest conversation any of them had ever taken part in.

When nothing but stunned silence met his words he continued on in true Ravenclaw fashion.

"Has anyone ever told u you're too hot to be a dark lord? Here's my homework by the way, the question was really cool, thanks."

"Alex, Alex love…"

"Yeah Sev?"

"What? I mean why would you…"

"Help my boyfriend achieve his apparently super-secret life goals of uprooting a corrupt headmaster and getting a mastery at the same time? Coz I'm awesome. Let's go now shall we? I know for a fact he's not even in the castle so move now lads chopchop, we don't have all day, the Aurors can be slow to get up off their asses." He threw the piece of parchment with some sort of map scribbles all over it at Gaunt and sailed from the room.

Gaunt opened his mouth and then just facepalmed. "I have so many questions. Like what is this? Who are the Marauders? Where did he get this? Where did he come from and can I keep him?"

"He's my boyfriend, get your own." Severus retorted immediately as he snatched the moving map and ran after Alex.

"Lily guess who used to own this!"

"Dumb and dumber?"

"Yupidy. It's sorta neat actually."

As the pair jogged along to catch up with the bouncing Ravenclaw, he leaned in and asked her "Are you sure you're okay? He definitely didn't get you with anything?"

"No. Tried to compulsion my cup but I handled it. We've just gotta get it."

"Ah so that's why we're going this way. Shame I thought we were just gonna screw up all his shit while he was gone."

"Naw you were a bit late to the briefing. So rude." Lily shook her head at him, the familiar banter returning her heart rate to normal as they reached the empty corridor.

"I knew you could do it. My lil sister, taking down institutions in one day." He placed a hand across his chest. "I'm so proud."

Lily snorted and interrupted a snarling Gaunt looming over a dismissive Alex. "So whats the plan how do we break in?"

"Got that handled Lilybug." Alex twirled his wand and looked at Gaunt. "You gonna help Big Bad or do I gotta do everything for myself?"

What followed was a series of spells so mindboggling, Lily felt like she'd spent the day wandering around Dumbledore's wardrobe.

"What are they?"

"Thieving spells basically, the Gringotts curse breakers in Egypt use em a lot."

As the Gargoyle creaked and allowed Lily to race up the stairs, Alex turned and bowed with a smirk.

"That was really sexy." Severus whispered into the air and Gaunt scoffed.

"I'm far too old for this, march now and drool over your boyfriends arse later. Watch that map like a hawk you hear me?"

Severus nodded grimly and spent the longest fifteen minutes in school history staring intently at the empty corridor marked in front of their little cluster of dots.

Soon enough the sounds of bickering reached his ears and he breathed a sigh of relief. If Lily and Alex were arguing than all was probably well and normal.

"You know you really don't have to look so damn pleased with yourself." Lily was saying as she reached Severus' side. Severus didn't even need to ask who when he saw Gaunt preening like a peacock and Alex shaking with repressed laughter.

As they casually walked away from the still office, Lily's robes cradling a small, innocent looking teacup, Severus felt it safe to ask "Alright who did what?"

"I turned all his lemon drops to acid."

"Turned all his robes green."

"I stole Fawkes."

They all stared at Alex for the third time that day.

"I'm sorry you did what?"

"Stole Fawkes." He didn't seem particularly concerned. "Is that a problem?"

Gaunt scowled "No but fuck I wish I'd thought of it."

"I steal things for a living, don't beat yourself up. I'll see you at dinner 'cause I've got a bird to deliver. Fancy date tonight, eh Sev? Dinner and a show…"

His wicked smirk made Severus' knees buckle and his cheeks flush as victory thrummed through his bones. They were so close. Dumbledore's demise was literally in their grasp and if Lily dropped that cup he would kill her.

Severus refused to allow himself to feel relieved until Gaunt held out an innocuous brown bag and asked "Ms. Evans, if you would?"

It wasn't until the owl with that bag and a pre-prepared note were far from sight did Severus let himself breathe. He was still trembling at dinner, the four them making eye contact in a little square of criminal knowledge doing nothing to assuage his nerves.

He hadn't managed to put more than a forkful of potatoes in his mouth when a crowd of red-clad Aurors burst into the hall from all sides, in a rather dramatic and final entrance.

Severus was none too delighted to see Auror Butters step forward, roll out his parchment and clear his throat. "Albus Brian Wulfric Percival Dumbledore you are under arrest by order of the Ministry of Magic and removed from your position as Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, effective immediately."


	19. Chapter Nineteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previously:::: He hadn’t managed to put more than a forkful of potatoes in his mouth when a crowd of red-clad Aurors burst into the hall from all sides, in a rather dramatic and final entrance.  
> Severus was none too delighted to see Auror Butters step forward, roll out his parchment and clear his throat. “Albus Brian Wulfric Percival Dumbledore you are under arrest by order of the Ministry of Magic and removed from your position as Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, effective immediately.”

Chapter 19

Dumbledore rose from his seat and opened his hands in a placating gesture. “I’m sure there must be some sort of misunderstanding.” It had never been clearer that the Dumbledore line was all Gryffindors as he wriggled his wand down his sleeve in the most unsubtle of gestures.   
“No Albus.” Minerva McGonagall rose from her chair in a fluid motion and every teacher and student in range scarpered clean out of the way. McGonagall gazed over the sea of startled students, her face hardening and wand grip tightening.   
“Go with them or I will make you.” Gaunt stepped up beside her when she finished speaking as the Aurors slid into their positions. 

Severus stared in utter awe. “So fucking cool.” Minerva McGonagall for the win! Severus wished he’d thought to bet on this. He was practically vibrating with excitement even as Auror Butters and his all-too-familiar partner shot him friendly smiles from where they covered the Slytherin table. 

“I rather think not.” Dumbledore said mildly, before raising his hands to clap them over his head. When no Fawkes appeared and Dumbledore was left standing there waiting, a few giggles were heard through the room as Regulus snorted beside him. “Good luck with that you old codger.” Regulus spooned potatoes into his mouth as he smirked and leaned back to watch the show.   
Dumbledore raised his wand as the Aurors swung into action and it was a testament to the bravery of the more mature Hogwarts students as the older ones leapt to shield the screaming younger students when spells begun to fly uncontrollably all over the Great Hall. Even Dumbledore, as powerful as he was, was no match for the combined power of Professor Minerva McGonagall and Lord Voldemort and the Aurors soon found themselves redundant as their target was floated towards them not minutes later, dangling upside and spewing the foulest of curse words. 

“So uncouth.” Layla Carrow murmured, sniffing disdainfully, covering her younger sisters ears with elegant hands.   
“You can say that again.” The aurors led Dumbledore away, their small army looking a tad ridiculous as the students huddled together at the back of the hall, all the houses united in their burrowing for information, whispers and crazy stories already taking root. Severus looked up to the staff table, where, aside from all the teachers being in various stages of shock, Gaunt was trying to persuade McGonagall to give him a high five and failing miserably. He laughed, his relief loud and clear as everyone shuffled to sit on the floor, dinners and house rivalries forgotten as McGonagall stood tall in Dumbledore's place at the podium. 

“I understand this has come as a big shock to you all but rest assured your schooling will continue as normal despite the staffing changes. Professor Dumbledore's arrest is for the good of this school and of the wizarding world and I expect you all to have the proper trust in the authorities to discover the truth and not indulge in despicable rumour spreading or lies. Your own opinions have no baring in this situation is that clear?” Even the staunchest Dumbledore supporters in Gryffindor looked cowed by her words and murmured along in the crowds agreement.   
“Thank you all. I think that’s quite enough excitement for tonight. Prefects please lead your houses to bed and meet in the Headmasters office first thing tomorrow for your briefing.” With that McGonagall swept from the room, the rest of the startled teachers hurrying into the antechamber behind her. Gaunt scanned the crowd before catching Severus’ eye and giving him a big smile. He felt a spot of heat on his neck and near jumped out of his skin, only to see writing etched on the back of the green locket he had kept on his person since the moment it had been gifted to him. ‘Sleep well.’ met his gaze in curvy, looped writing that made him smile. Severus concluded that now the school was finally as safe as it could possibly get, he might finally actually do that. 

As the next few weeks passed, the fifth years cared less about the tales of Dumbledore's treachery floating around the school in favor of their looming owls and began to join the seventh years in a flurry of last minute studying. Severus, Alex and Lily could most often be found bent over books and essays and diagrams in the Room of Requirement as even the most dedicated Ravenclaws began to crack. Severus had never been so grateful for his Occlumency skills and the impeccable time management they aided as Madam Pomphrey began to pester him into accepting money for all the extra calming draughts he began to brew. She was running out of them by the dozen and Severus had to laugh at some of the lengths his fellow students went to acquire a vial or two, some of which included bunging cording through the window as another student set off stink bombs in the entrance as a distraction. Madam Pomphrey had chased the pair of Gryffindor Seventh years-Fabian and Gideon Prewitt-away with so much fervor Headmistress McGonagall had been forced to come mediate the hundreds of detentions Pomphrey had tried to dish out.  
Even when the date of the end of the Marauders suspension ended and they made no return, Severus didn’t have it in him to be bothered, far too flustered by the vials of werewolf cure-and boy did it need a better name-bottled in the dungeon to give a whit about anyone else. 

“I still don’t get what the problem is.” Lily threw her hands up as she flung her Herbology textbook to the floor with a fierce scowl. “You said it should work right?”  
“Should isn’t good enough Lily! Without any practical trial it can’t be submitted to the mastery board and if its not submitted to the mastery board in time-”  
“Okokok I’m sorry, breathe, yeah Sev?”   
“Sorry. I’m sorry, I just…” Severus sighed and placed his hands flat on the table, letting his head droop.   
“You’ve come this far I understand why you’re worried. But Sev, if you do this you could change the lives of so many people.”   
He turned to look at her, black eyes empty and vulnerable. “But what if it doesn’t work?”  
She wrapped him in her arms and let him bury his face in her shoulders, knowing her friend was wishing more than anything his mum could be here to do this instead. Lily squeezed tighter and whispered “It will. Of course it will. You made it after all.”

Emboldened by her faith Severus managed to grin and wiped a hand over his face. “Alright then if you say so. What would you suggest?” Lily gave him a soft smile, her eyes inevitably drawn to the ring he twirled around and around his finger, the soft light it emitted at the most random of times seeming to bring him comfort.   
“Will you let me talk to Remus?” When he grimaced, she pushed on “C’mon Sev, he’s desperate and absolutely miserable he’ll jump at the chance, you know he will!” Lily widened her eyes and clutched his hand as she watched his resolve crumble.   
“Fine. But if he makes one off remark-”  
“He won’t.” Lily said firmly. “Or I’ll kick his arse.”  
Severus’ laughter cleared the air in the dark dungeon as she led him from the dungeon to finally take a breath of air. 

“Severus agreed to ask Remus to trial his potion.” Lily announced to the room proudly as Alex cheered and kissed his boyfriend on the cheek while Marvolo sipped tea and wondered where these children had gotten the permanent invite to spread their teenage messiness all over his quarters.   
“That’s so great babe!” Alex beamed and then stopped to look at Severus in the eye. “Or not? This is not a great, ok.”  
“No, no it’s just…why did it have to be Lupin?” Severus felt childish and so incredibly immature to complain but there was another part of him that wanted to drop to the floor and howl about how incredibly utterly shite it was that Lupin was the only convenient non-feral werewolf in 50 miles.   
“Ah c’mon sugar, it’s not that bad. Look I’ll even go grab him for ya, he won’t know what hit him, I’ll do all the interaction stuff.” 

Severus smiled at Alex’s earnestness and then snorted. “You cannot steal me potions test subjects.”   
“I’ll steal you anything you want babe, all you gotta do is ask. Besides think how good it’ll look to those mastery bastards if you throw a new invention out there while studying for Owls, you’ll break all sorta world records, right? It’ll be awesome, I can go around like this is my boyfriend, yeah Aunt Debra, the world’s youngest potion master, that boyfriend.”   
“Are you trying to seduce me with potions titles?”  
“That depends.”  
“On what?”   
“Whether or not it’s working.”  
As they stared into each other’s eyes, Marvolo and Lily shared a pained long-suffering look before Marvolo cleared his throat.  
“Ahem. Your Thieving Menace is quite correct about one thing, little snake, you have a lot of time on your side but if you publish a new invention to the board before your 17th birthday you will be the youngest potions master in history, which is quite the title to hold.”  
As Alex mouthed the words ‘Thieving Menace’ to himself with a bemused look on his face, Severus turned to Gaunt uncertainty. “You think so?”  
“I know so, child. However you are under no obligation to push aside your persona trauma to help Mr. Lupin specifically, there is always time and countless werewolves desperate to escape the laws that choke them in this country and others so it is not really a must.” Despite seeing a desperate want on Severus’ face to take the out that Marvolo had dropped in his lap, the Dark Lord felt a massive burst of pride when Severus took a breath and nodded. 

“I suppose I will ask Lupin. It’s convenient after all and I-I don’t want to spend my life bitter and afraid over a bunch of idiots who don’t matter a damn.” The bold statement didn’t quite cover the quiver in his voice and his family smiled.   
“It’s ok to be afraid Severus.”  
“Yeah and don’t think for one second you have to be all forgiving and ‘the bigger man’ and all that sorta shit!” Lily chimed in, afraid she had maybe pushed Severus into making a damaging decision. Severus frowned and then whispered hesitantly   
“I assume you’d want that.”   
“Even if I did, it doesn’t matter. Forgiving everything bad someone has done to you when they don’t regret it is just gonna fuck you right up. And honestly Sev, the best thing you can do is move on without any regard for those fuckwits altogether. You don’t have to forget, you just have to let go of all the anger that isn’t going to change anything that they’ve done and become such a supernova you’ll burn away each and every one of them.”   
“Thanks Lil.”  
“Sure sure. Oh also, Mum sent cookies and wants to know how your date went ‘cause you said you’d write her and you didn’t.” She sent him a light glare before passing over the tin of cookies. 

Marvolo perked up and stretched out a hand to swipe away the tin. Severus slid it into Alex’s lap in record time and turned to look at the professor innocently.   
“Oh sorry sir, did you want one?” He titled his head and Marvolo grumbled to himself. Heather Evans’ cookies were the nectar of the gods and he would not be denied Morganadamnit.   
“Cheeky brat, give those here and go map out your trial plan so I can write the mastery board.”   
“What are you writing the board for?” Severus yelped, practilly throwing him the cookies.   
“So I can boast about your achievements to people who are obligated to listen obviously.” Marvolo sniffed primly, missing Alex’s pointed cough to Lily “Ahem DadLord, ahem.”  
“Something in your throat Delassandro?” Marvolo glared.   
“No sir, nopedidope.”  
“There will be if you keep it up.”  
“Oh I hope so.” Alex winked at Severus who closed his eyes and wished the window was open so he could promptly lunge right out of it.   
Lily rolled her eyes. “TMI boys. And with that we’re off, we’re going on a wolf hunt.” She dragged Alex by the arm even though he protested “Why right now?”   
“ ’Cause the potions gotta be taken for a week you dolt and the sooner the better so Sev can ace his Owls too. Idiot.”  
“You know Lilyflower you’re very rude to me sometimes.”  
“Oh like you don’t deserve-why are you walking faster?”  
“Shut up and c’mon would you? Chopchop no time to waste.”

When that more than suspicious conversation finished, and Severus felt his blush finally die from his cheeks he sighed and looked at Gaunt meticulously checking all his possessions.  
“I’m sorry, I’ll get you back whatever he took.” Gaunt waved a hand in dismissal.   
“It is of no consequence. Start filling those out while they kidnap your test subject, you get to do the fun stuff.”  
“Paperwork is the fun stuff?”  
“These days? Yes.”  
“Shit.”  
“Language.”   
“Says the man who stubbed his toe and swore for ten minutes in front of the poor first years.”   
“Necessary vocabulary.”   
“If you say so sir.”  
“So much sass.” Gaunt muttered. “Why do you all have so much sass? No one dared backchat a teacher in my day.”  
“Yeah but that was like a century ago so the worlds moved on since you know.” Severus piped up and grinned as he ducked the cookie thrown at him.   
“Shut up and write.”  
“Aye aye captain.” He saluted for good measure.  
“Oh for gods sake!”

Remus Lupin sniffed carefully from where he was perched behind a suit of armor. Someone was definitely following him, and a familiar scent too, but after having faced a rather rigorous hazing from the rest of Gryffindor when the others had left, familiarity was no comfort. The scent mingled with others as the corridors began to fill and Remus waited three breaths before he stood and peered around the metal arm.  
It was without any real warning, only the rising hairs on the back of his neck and a snarl from the beast within that he discovered something was very wrong. He whirled around, wand in hand only to have it clattered from his grip as a tall Ravenclaw peered down at him.   
“Hey wolfboy. You and I have some things to chat about.”   
As the blood drained from his face, Remus felt his lips pull up into a snarl before a spell was hurtled his way and everything went black and he knew no more. 

The first thing Remus felt when he woke was the force with which his head was throbbing and the fact that opening his eyes did nothing to aid his sight, the cloth covering them far too thick. The voices squabbling however did clue him in.   
“Alex for fucks sake, I told you to ask him not fucking kidnap him, what the hell?”  
“Hey, normally I steal things not people, he doesn’t fit in any of my pockets, forgive me if it was difficult!”   
There was a tired sigh from the other man before there were steps and scents far too close to his ears and he yanked his head back.   
“Oh calm down Lupin would you, for Merlin's sake.”  
“Sn-snape?”  
“Nope, its Prince now and I’m sorry my boyfriends a twat. He was supposed to ask you here not drag you.” 

The light was blinding but after a few rigorous blinks, Severus Prince swam before his view, glaring at the same Ravenclaw who’d ambushed him.   
Prince threw his bag and wand at him and, surprised, Remus snatched them out of the air a second too late to be dignified.   
“Why?”  
“What?”  
“Why did you want to ask me here in the first place? And where is here?”  
“Here is a secret room on the seventh floor and no I wont tell you how to get in. As for why…” Prince actually hesitated and Remus felt his stomach clench and leapt to fill the silence.   
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I know it’s not enough but I have to say it anyway. For what we did but especially for last year.”  
Prince froze, staring at him with those flat black eyes that were always so expressive with either a clever glint or utter rage, and that one time Remus had seen him through an animals vision, utter terror.   
“What.”  
“I’m sorry.” Remus repeated desperately. There was no sticking charm on the chair or ropes on his wrist but Mercy Lewis Remus couldn’t have moved if he’d tried.   
“It wasn’t right what they did and I’ll be forever sorry it went as far as it did. And-and if you’ve brought me here to hex me or curse me or whatever then-then that’s fine.”

That seemed to do it and Prince’s spine snapped straight upright as he whirled around to glare fiercely at Remus. “Oh grow a spine Lupin, you cowardly fuck! I didn’t need to kidnap you to curse you and I don’t need your damn apology.” He barked at Remus and ran his hands through his shortened hair that Remus had to admit did wonders for his facial structure. 

“I could never have lived with myself if I had hurt you any worse, it’s one of my worst fears about being what I am.”  
“How would you like to not be?”  
“Wh-what?!”   
“I’ve got something I think might be a cure to lycanthropy are you interested or not?” Prince snapped, twisting a ring around his finger in an agitated rhythm.  
“Yes, yes of course. A million times yes.” Remus croaked, hardly daring to believe his ears.   
“Wh-what do you want for it-I have savings-”  
Prince rolled his eyes to the back of his head so hard that Remus’ mother would have commented on them staying there with how much energy he put into that one gesture.   
“It’s a theoretical procedure, you don’t have to pay me anything.” The reassurance was sneered but music to Remus’ ears nonetheless.   
“Oh-oh well that’s amazing I um-what do I have to-”  
“Take those for the next week, every morning and we’ll meet again before the moon next Wednesday and see then.”   
“That’s-that’s it?” Remus whispered, staring at the collection of vials shoved into his chest in utter awe.   
Prince twisted his face into a sneer again. “Yes on your end that’s it. Sign that before you leave.” 

And Remus did, signed his signature on so many things his name became nearly meaningless to him as he floated from the room and found himself utterly lost in the middle of the corridor with the biggest smile on his face. He stumbled to the owlery and scratched out a note to his parents, watching the owl leave with such warmth in his chest he thought no dementor would ever touch him again. He collapsed against the window and sobbed in joy, praying the next week would go well. 

Remus wasn’t the only one eagerly awaiting the next week for the second the werewolf left the room, Severus’ knees caved and Alex was there to swoop them both onto a couch.   
“I’m sorry I nearly fucked it up.” Alex whispered into his hair as they both burst into giggles.   
“It’s ok. Now we just have to wait.”  
“Now we wait.” Alex brought Severus’ hand to his lips and placed a gentle kiss over the many scars and cauldron calluses that covered pale skin as they let night fall undisturbed around them.

No-one involved in the little operation now titled Codename Wolverine (because someone put Alex in charge of naming) slept well on Tuesday, up to and including the newest members Headmistress McGonagall and Madam Pomphrey that had to be involved for both permission and safety measures and expertise respectively. The two boys had been excluded from classes on the Tuesday by a grim-faced McGonagall and were thusly left sitting across from each other in awkward silence while the clock ticked on towards the time the unlikely group could traipse to the newly warded shrieking shack.   
Severus kept his head bowed over his notes and pretended to do final preparations while not a thing reached his brain except his building anxiety that threatened to flood him. 

Finally he heaved a heavy sigh and took the middle page from the large report in front of him.   
“Any side effects?” He asked, ensuring he sounded only bored and not utterly panicked.  
“Wh-no, no nothing at all.” Lupin answered earnestly, sitting up straight.   
“Loss of appetite, nausea, pain, craving for raw meat?” Lupin blanched at the last one but shook his head in the negative to the others and each and every possible problem symptom Severus presented him with. When the time came that Severus could think of nothing else professional to say, he bit his lip and asked himself, what would Lily do? He smiled to himself and dug into the bottom of his bag while Lupin stared at him, likely already exhausted and alarmed by the thought of more questions. 

Severus sketched out a small grid and with painstaking neatness scratched out an X into the middle before sliding it across.   
“Your turn.”   
Their many games of x and o’s s turned into hangman and the hangman into a rather civil debate of whether Chiaroscurist was spelt with a h or not, preoccupying them so much that they didn’t notice a bemused McGonagall leaning against a wall. 

“It’s time boys.” Was all she said as she led the way to the rundown shack, Remus and Severus following her in a subdued silence as they both thought of how much this night would change for them both. When everything was settled and it was just the two professors, Johann Gregovitch from the International Potions Confederation and Severus facing the one way-mirror in the newly refurbished room, the young Slytherin thought he’d never felt more sick in his life. 

“Oh dear.” Madam Pomphrey murmured and Severus’ head shot up at the sound of steps and the sight of a shabby couple stepping into the shack. It only took a moment and McGonagalls soft words of “Mr. and Mrs Lupin please-” for his nausea to increase ten-fold as she led the couple away.   
It only took a few hushed words and they began to look his way with eyes wide and shimmering. Oh merlin he could not do this, there was no way, how could he face these people if he failed now? He couldn’t talk to them alone, what would he even say? He gasped a ragged breathe and gripped the necklace around his neck. Marvolo had said it would help him if he needed the man and Severus had never wanted the dark lord by his side more than this moment. 

There was a wooshing of Apparition and the rushing of robes before Severus was bundled into the mans side as Professor Gaunt rubbed a hand up and down his back.   
“It’s alright little snake, I promise it will work.” Severus shook his head and sniffed at the mans tutting.   
“Believe in yourself dear Severus, I know you’ve done it and if you can’t believe yourself, believe in me, can you do that instead?” Severus could only nod wordlessly, the neurons required for speech not firing in his brain as Gaunt pressed an actual kiss to his forehead before stepping in to greet the Lupins where Severus couldn’t. Within seconds he had them charmed, all smiles and suaveness, creating a blush on Mrs Lupins cheeks at the couple held each other close.   
“It’s time ladies and gentlemen.” Gregovitch announced, his voice as old and crunchy as gravel. Silence fell as heavy as war on the room as the crowd gathered to watch a nervous Remus sit in the middle of the padded floor in only a hospital gown. 

Outside the grubby window the wide full moon rose as bright as any star as they held their breaths.


	20. Chapter Twenty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The full, the owls and....the trial

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone, sorry for the long wait and the short chapter, I had both exams and writers block. But I hope you all keep safe and enjoy the chapter! Thanks for reading.

Chapter Twnety

Severus watched breathlessly as the moons light illuminated the dingy floors of the shack and Remus stared up at the glowing orb with skin so very pale and very human. Tears streamed down his face as he watched the bane of his existence hover in the sky, seeing it with human eyes for the first time since he could remember.   
Mrs Lupin let out a gasping sob as she grasped her husbands arm, though he didn’t look much more composed. Severus couldn’t honestly believe it. There the moon was, in full view, round and full and yet there was not so much a strand of fur on the Gryffindor boy staring at his own hands in amazement. 

“My boy, my brilliant, brilliant boy.” Professor Gaunt pulled him close, crushing the papers in the process. He pressed kisses to Severus’ head as he showered him with praise. Severus felt like the moon had taken all the oxygen in it’s ascent to the sky as he inhaled deeply and found nothing was quite making it to his lungs. Gaunt knelt down and cupped Severus’ face in his hands and kept whispering to him. “You did it, darling boy, you did it.” There was commotion going on behind him, that much he could hear, but he found not a whit of it mattered as Gaunt pressed one final kiss to his forehead and murmured “I am so proud of you. You’ve just given that boy his life back.”

“Yes. Yes, you have.” Severus whirled around at the voice close to his back and felt himself collide with Gaunt. The man gripped his shoulders as Severus stared at Mr. Lupin’s outstretched hand.   
“We love our son very much, and it tortured us as a family to see him suffer so every month and know just how the world would treat him for this suffering. For you to have alleviated this suffering, no matter the personal cost to yourself…we are beyond grateful. We owe you a debt Heir Prince.” He then bowed to Severus, who hadn’t managed to shake his hand, before the ragged man spoke hesitantly.   
“We don’t-we don’t have much in the way of money but surely we can-”

“NO!” Severus shouted in alarm. “No, gods, I don’t want anything from you, I was just-It was only an experiment, so you really really don’t need to do anythin’ like that, please.” Now both Lupins were staring at him like he’d spun around on his head spouting Greek.   
“Oh my.” Mrs Lupin was looking at him with different eyes now before she smiled at him warmly as Severus noted her eyes were the exact same warm brown as her sons. 

“What a wonderful young man you are.” Before Severus could blink she had wrapped him in a tight motherly hug and he clung on just a little, her perfume eerily reminiscent of his own mothers. She had let him stumble back to the safety of Professor Gaunt's intimidating tallness-and no he was not hiding behind the mans robes like a child-before she spoke again.   
“Your mother must be very proud of you.” Severus felt, more than heard, the rest of the room wince, but only smiled at the woman.   
“Yes Ma’am I hope so.” The ring on his hand warmed and his mothers voice crooned in his ear as his eyes fluttered shut in bittersweet remembrance. 

By the time the hairs on the back of his neck had settled, Madam Pomfrey had decided enough was quite enough and was bustling a stunned Remus out of the warded shack room while rubbing a blanket viciously over his thin shoulders. She beckoned Severus over and when he had his clipboard at the ready, sat Remus down to fire question after question at him. He answered them all dutifully as his parents squeezed both his hands.   
Setting ugly and bitter twisted like a grapevine in Severus’ chest and he looked down at the papers in front of him instead. He ticked the boxes religiously, ensuring each one was perfect. If an inkblot ruined his chances at a mastery he would start a full on war, so help him Merlin. 

He didn’t realise his frown was so evident on his face as he looked at the Lupins tearfully rejoicing but that must have been the case as Gregovitch cleared his throat and narrowed his eyes at the young Slytherin.   
“You have done something truly wonderful here tonight, young man. There is no doubt in my mind you will be great. And it is this exact analysis I will give to the board and all who ask Gregovitch what it was like to witness a newfound moment in history.” With those parting words, he bowed and apparated from the shack in a blink. Severus stared after him with a grin, looking up at his teachers with a grin as McGonagall and Gaunt exchanged galleons. 

“Are you betting on me sir?”  
“Excuse you I am not. That would be incredibly unprofessional.”  
“Riiight.” Severus drawled, crossing his arms over his chest.as McGonagall gave a him a rare smile and said  
“100 points to Slytherin, Mr. Prince for world advancements and for helping, not only a fellow student, but fellow mages all over the world.”  
Ears burning from the compliment, Severus rocked back on his heels as Gaunt grinned.   
“The House Cup is ours!” His childish whisper cheer made Severus burst into giggles and he felt sadness float off his shoulders to join the twinkling stars that watched over them. He even shook Lupins hand-the five separate times the other boy insisted-though he reared back immediately when the stupid oaf tried to hug him. 

But all in all, his trial was a success and Severus couldn’t help but feel he was one step closer to snagging all his dreams in one fell swoop. As Alex and Lily accosted him in hugs and kisses-whilst the two professors turned a blind eye to the students out of bed and the blatant PDA and squealing, Severus settled himself in their embrace and felt like he could take on the world. And Morgana knows, it wasn’t that far from the truth. After all the trial of Albus Dumbledore was but a few weeks away.

Those few weeks flew in rapidly, consumed by quick alcove snogging sessions, frantic OWL examinations and hastily thrown together study sessions between nearly all the fifth years of all houses. Not a single soul dared approach a fifth or seventh year for fear of death and the whole school breathed a sigh of relief when the last grain of sand hit the end of the hourglass in the History Of Magic exam. 

Severus threw his quill away from him with a grin and stretched languidly as he began to finally anticipate something else other than his next exam. Of course, it wasn’t much better as the only thing up and coming was Dumbledore's trial. But Professor Gaunt had promised to take him to Diagon Alley to claim his lordship today and he also thought he might be able to wheedle the man into some new dress robes as well. He had to look the part for the trial after all. And he thought, as his stomach grumbled, maybe some lunch if they had time. 

Professor Gaunt was, in fact, adamant that they make time for lunch, whisking Severus off to another high-class restaurant to eat where, much to the boys delight, they spent most of the afternoon fighting over the last bread roll, and after they’d split it, animatedly discussing developing a patent for the shield bracelets Severus and Lily had presented for their OWL’s project. He hadn’t felt so relaxed in such a long time, it was nearly a jolt to his system when, a bundle of dress robes and a lordship ring later, Gaunt guided them back to school and promised to pick Severus and Lily up from the Hogwarts Express to take them to the trial. 

He relayed this information to Lily as she oohed and aahed over his new robes, making him twirl in each and every single set before something caught her ear.   
“He’s picking you up from the station?”  
“Yeah that’s what I said.”   
Lily gave a wide smile and gushed “Oh Sev, I’m so happy for you.”   
“Errr thanks? Why?”  
“Oh for the love of-Alex back me up here!”  
“Mmmm, wha’ Lily?”  
“If you would stop oogling Severus’ arse for five minutes, you’d have heard him say that Gaunt is going to pick him up from the station when we get off the express!”  
“Oh. Is he now?”  
“Why do you look surprised too?! Is it really that big a deal?!” Severus whined, sticking out his lip in a pout as they exchanged glances and eye-rolls.   
“Oh no, no big deal, not like its parental or anything, nooo no.” Lily muttered as she wrestled Severus’ lapel into place as he spluttered.   
“Dear gods, how am I supposed to look him in the eye now?!” He demanded when Alex slung an arm around his shoulder and stole a cheeky kiss.   
“Relaaaax, he’s basically adopted you anyhow. You’ll be cool. Now run us through your testimony again.” Alex demanded and Severus cleared his mind and grappled for his short but concise list of crimes the former headmaster had attempted to commit. 

When the day came and the packed courtroom was hotter than any Louisiana chicken wing, Severus looked down at his shoes and regretted his every life decision. The whole room was silenced as Dumbledore was dragged in, his former magnificence and stature gone and a shrivelled Azkaban prisoner appearance in it’s place. The chains on the defendants chair wrapped so tightly around him that the metal structure shook with the effort. Whispers flooded the courtroom as Dumbledore tried to straighten and regain some of his grandfatherly image. Severus couldn’t have whispered a word if he’d tried. His heart was nearly in his mouth as Minister Bagnold rose to the head of court and banged her gavel.   
“May the Trial of Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore begin! First witness for the prosecution, Lord Severus Septimus Prince!”


End file.
